Mirrors of Creation: The Mirror of Ages
by Nikkilove101
Summary: Callie thinks life is too boring. She hates her life and most of all, her school. However, a history presentation takes a turn for the worst. Tossed into a strange mirror, Callie finds herself in the Lady Grace Mysteries and it is not what you think!
1. Chapter 1: Disturbance at Dawn

Book 1: The Mirror of Ages

Written By: Sandra Meesala

Started: January 29, 2010

Ended: ?

Chapter 1: Disturbance at Dawn and the Beast

_Bang! Bang!_ A distant shout came from behind the bedroom door. "Callie, you sleep monkey! Wake up! We'll be late!"

Instead of getting up like I was supposed to, I decided to stay in bed. School can wait.

"Don't make me get Mom." threatened my horribly annoying brother, Mark.

"He wouldn't." I whispered to myself and dropped my head back into my soft white pillow. I tried to drift back into the amazing dream I was having only moments before this rude awakening.

I knew I had a choice to make; stay here and possibly get yelled at by Mom, or get up from my warm cocoon under the plush soft blankets on top of me. Before I could make my decision, I heard my mother's heavy footsteps coming up the old wooden steps, heading straight towards my bedroom door.

"Catherine Anne Pellegrino!" screamed my obviously angry and infuriating mother.

"He did not!" I whispered. "That sorry excuse for a brother!" I shook my head. Mark was going to pay.

"Get your lazy butt out of bed right now, young lady or …." By that time, I had already tuned her out. I didn't care to hear what else she threw my way.

I slowly got out of bed and went into my bathroom to wash up. I had to hurry before Mom blew her top and called Dad.

"Has the beast been awaken yet?" Mark called from behind the door. He said it with that snobby British accent he uses to insult people with.

I stopped the impossible task of getting my jeans on. He said **the word**: the name I dreaded most, "The Beast."

Others would have just let it pass, but I didn't. I was called that when I was a munchkin because I was forced to play the part of the beast in my elementary school musical, "The Beauty and the Beast." I did everything I could to get out of playing that part. I even attempted to jump off a flight of stairs. Despite my efforts, my family made me, thinking that it would be a nice way to get me "get involved."

I sucked as the part of the beast. I wasn't the greatest singer in the world and on the premiere night, I abruptly had a sore throat on stage. The voice that came out of my mouth sounded like a dying horse. People said that it suited the beast, but I knew that they were laughing inside. Since then, I've never set foot inside a theatre, besides the movies, and I hated the word "beast". Mark knew it and now he had to shell out. Big time.

I looked at my alarm clock. It read _7:10_ and the school bus came exactly at 7:20. I only had about a three minute window to get back at my brother. I still had to eat breakfast and head to the bus stop by my house, so this had to be swift.

I quickly looked around me for a reasonable weapon while I wore my jacket. A book? No, that'll only give him a bump on the head. Scissors? Na, too gruesome. I didn't feel like stabbing him today. I had to make him hurt but not too much.

Clothes, books, and papers went flying during my search as the desire to hit Mark grew. I haven't cleaned my room in ages! I was lucky Mom didn't walk into my room when she attempted to wake me up earlier. She would have had a fit, then probably call Dad, who would ground me; and, while he was busy listing off my taken away privileges, Mom would be giving me the traditional "responsibility" lecture. I don't know which is worse, the lecture or being grounded.

I finally found the perfect punishing tool, my school bag, which was previously hidden under a pile of clean laundry. The backpack had two of my heaviest textbooks in it. If I put just enough momentum into it, I could really do some damage. If Mom managed to ask why my older brother was in pain, I could just say that I was rushing out of the room and accidently bumped into him.

"Yeah." I said. "That should work." I took a glimpse at the clock. _7:12_. I had only one minute to spare.

With a big grin on my face, I threw open the door and found just the person I was hoping to see.

"Yes! Finally! Now let's go-?"

I swung the bag at him.

"So, you swung your school bag at your brother?" Sharon asked me while we were at our lockers.

Sharon Marshal has been my best friend since she moved from Ohio, two years ago. Since then, she has been the miracle that I have always been asking for.

Shortly after Sharon joined the grade, she was quickly liked throughout the student body for her pleasurable and outgoing personality. Greatest of all, when she became my friend, she stopped people from bugging me. I am not a big fan of cheerful people. However, most of the people in my school were so hyper and preppie, I swear that they were on crack or something when they walked through the school doors in the morning.

"Yeah!" I continued my tale. "I put the exact amount of arm and it hit him, like, right in the side! You should have seen him! He was like…" I mimicked my brother pained expressions. When I was done, I glanced up at Sharon and froze.

"What? He had it coming." I tried to reassure Sharon but that didn't stop her from continuing to give me the "disappointed" look. Not only was it making me feel guilty but was freaking me out a lot.

There were a large group of windows that ran along the wall in front of us. The bright morning sunshine was shining brightly into the hall but it made the front of Sharon look eerily dark. Sharon's long, dirty blonde hair made the shadows on her face look darker than the rest of her body. Plus, since she was about six inches taller than me, it seemed like she was looming over me. I cringed in the sight of her given that it appeared like she was going to kill me.

I wasn't the only one to be scared. A group of boys approached Sharon to greet her but quickly walked away when they saw the look on her face. I could guess what was going through their minds, "What the heck did Callie do to Sharon?" I sighed. If only they knew the whole story.

I understood their thoughts though. Sharon wasn't the type of person who would get flaming mad at someone without a reason to. She was the goodie- good type who never spoke badly about people. She always believed in the "good" in them, or that is how my parents put it.

"That was probably a bad idea, wasn't it?" I asked her, succumbing to her stare down and not wanting to upset her too much.

Content that she made her statement, she unfolded her arms from her chest. "You think?" she said.

We both mentally decided to let the subject end there. I closed my locker and we started heading towards our first period class. Even though we had dropped the topic, disapproval about my actions was still written all over Sharon's face. With each moment, it made me feel guiltier and guiltier. Nevertheless, I won't apologize for smacking Mark with my school bag. I chuckled in remembrance of the incident as we walked to history class together.

Chapter 2: The Roy Family Legend

Sharon and I both have the same history teacher, Mr. Bogerson. Regardless of his real name, we all, except Sharon, called him Mr. Bogus. I thought that this was a dumb name for a teacher, until the first two months of this school year. He'd always give pop quizzes and long tests every week. Plus, every two weeks, we had a random project that had nothing to do with what we were learning about in class.

This week, all of his six classes had to do a huge project about our family ancestors; even though we were studying about D- day. The students had to create a family tree, compose a family story, and bring in a family item. I brought in my grandmother's dress from around World War Two and Sharon brought in her great grandmother's locket.

My eyes came across familiar images on the walls as we entered the classroom. Mr. Bogerson's room had historical posters all along the walls and some were ones I have never seen before. Where he managed to get them, I have no idea. Do they have a poster convention or something? Other than that, it was a normal classroom. Even though it was normal, it was extremely boring; however, I won't go into that.

As Sharon and I both took our seats, I gazed around the room to see what my classmates brought in for their project items. I saw jewelry, shirts, portraits, letters, pictures, and hats. The weirdest thing I saw was a huge mirror. It was one of those mirrors that you could roll.

The mirror I saw was no ordinary one though. It had intricate borders that were painted with beautiful colors. I got up from my seat and walked over to the mirror in pure amazement. I have never seen one like it before. The borders depicted some sort of scene with different creatures and people who wore blue robes. The robed persons were gathered around in a circle. It looked like they were chanting or doing a Séance. "Strange." I whispered. On the top of the frame and to each side of it, there were indentations. The shapes looked familiar but the answer wouldn't come to me at that moment.

"Hey there cutie, you like it?" said a voice behind me. I spun around to see my classmate Jake Roy standing there with big his hands in his jean pockets. His long, wavy black hair was tied back in a pony tail and he was wearing his favorite purple track sweatshirt. Its bold white words said on the back, "If you can read this, then you are where you're supposed to be." For some odd reason, that was incredibly funny to me.

"Yes, I actually do. It's interesting but beautiful." I turned back to the reflection. "Why did you bring in a mirror?"

"Well, I couldn't find anything else about my family and I really need to ace this project. So might as well bring in this."

"What do you have in this class?" I unconsciously asked.

"A 79."

"Ohh, so close!"

Jake sighed. "I know! If I ace this, I'll be set for a B."

I arched an eyebrow. "Your mom made you bring in this. Didn't she?"

Jake hung his head in shame. "Yes. She told me to do it or die; or something along those lines."

I changed the subject. "Did your family make this?"

Jake stepped closer to the mirror like a salesman trying to catch an interested customer. "Actually, I have no idea. There are stories about how my family came upon it but other than that, I don't have any factual evidence."

Jake was already creeping me out with the moves. I took a quick peek at the clock upon the wall. We had about 15 minutes before the bell rang. I couldn't sit next to Sharon because she was still mad at me for this morning. Her glare had already scared my mind at the locker bank and I wasn't about to let my mind get scarred again. "Oh. Okay then, what is one of the stories?" I figured his tale should at least allow me to stall for a bit.

"Long story short, way back when, one of my ancestors on my dad's side was fishing on the Irish coast. It started to rain and he ran for cover. He found an isolated cavern. It was raining heavily and it didn't look like it was going to stop any time soon, so he decided to look around. Soon after that," Jake placed his hand on the frame. "he found this in the rock wall."

"Wait a second. That man found this" I tapped on the mirror. "in the wall?"

"Well, no. Not the whole thing. Let me actually finish, will you?" He took his hand off the mirror. "He found the reflective part. Strange, but true. His wife's birthday was up coming soon, so he came back to the cavern, two days later, to chisel it out. While he was in the process of that, he slipped and fell into the mirror."

"He fell into the mirror?" I looked at him, confused. How do you fall into a mirror? Is that even possible?"

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. I wasn't very good with bizarre explanations but I still didn't want to go back to Sharon. That means I had no choice but to bear with it. My family could never understand why I hated weird stories. All I knew is that when I heard one, what happened in the story suddenly happened to me too or they gave me nightmares.

"They say that he went to different worlds and met this group called The Keeper's Guild." Jake continued. "They apparently watch these worlds and "keep the peace". Get it? Keep the peace?" he started cracking up but I didn't find it funny.

"Okay? Go on. How did he get back?" The request came out insistent.

"Whoa! Someone's interested! I didn't think you'd be the one to like these kinds of stories, Callie."

I punched his arm but it didn't affect him what so ever because his arm was thick with muscles. I secretly regretted hitting him as my hand slightly throbbed. "Shut up and answer my question, Jake." I said, rubbing my hand. Jake took one look at my hand and laughed.

"You okay?"

I growled in response.

"Fine! Fine! Take a chill pill! The Keepers sent him back. Before that, they made him promise not to tell anyone. Because he was a man of his word, he didn't. He just finished the job and made this mirror. The art work was done later after it was placed into a wooden frame.

"See? Check it out!" Jake turned the rolling mirror around and I felt the back. It was defiantly wood.

On the upper right hand corner, there was a wide crack. The mirror was about six feet tall so I had to stand on my toes just to touch it. It felt like a rock that was in a cold, damp spot for a long time.

"Wait a minute…"

"Now what Callie? I actually finished this time!"

I ignored his statement and continued. "If he wasn't supposed to tell anyone, how did your family find out about the journey your relative took in the…mirror?"

"Good question. He had a journal and wrote about his travels in there. That diary was found and read. Ironically, people still found out the mirror through his writings so, he didn't end up breaking his promise." Jake finished. There was a big grin on his small face. He was somehow proud of his story.

"That's cool. You're so lucky!" I told Jake."At least you have something that is somewhat cool to say about your family history. I still have to make some crap up." A moment later we both started laughing. I suck at making stuff up on the spot, especially if I didn't prepare for it, which I didn't.

After the joke faded off, I glanced again at the clock. I had four minutes to kill. We both stared at the mirror, unsure of what else to say. Then, a thought arose. "Do you believe the story?" I asked Jake.

I sort of enjoyed his story about the Roy Family Mirror. It was both mysterious and weird at the same time. As was mentioned before, I wasn't a fan of fiction, but there was something about this story that was appealing. Something in me wanted to believe it.

"Well…" he started but the bell cut him off. "I'll get back to you on that!" he said as he rushed to his seat and I rushed to mine.


	2. Chapter 2: The Roy Family Legend

Chapter 2: The Roy Family Legend

Sharon and I both have the same history teacher, Mr. Bogerson. Regardless of his real name, we all, except Sharon, called him Mr. Bogus. I thought that this was a dumb name for a teacher, until the first two months of this school year. He'd always give pop quizzes and long tests every week. Plus, every two weeks, we had a random project that had nothing to do with what we were learning about in class.

This week, all of his six classes had to do a huge project about our family ancestors; even though we were studying about D- day. The students had to create a family tree, compose a family story, and bring in a family item. I brought in my grandmother's dress from around World War Two and Sharon brought in her great grandmother's locket.

My eyes came across familiar images on the walls as we entered the classroom. Mr. Bogerson's room had historical posters all along the walls and some were ones I have never seen before. Where he managed to get them, I have no idea. Do they have a poster convention or something? Other than that, it was a normal classroom. Even though it was normal, it was extremely boring; however, I won't go into that.

As Sharon and I both took our seats, I gazed around the room to see what my classmates brought in for their project items. I saw jewelry, shirts, portraits, letters, pictures, and hats. The weirdest thing I saw was a huge mirror. It was one of those mirrors that you could roll.

The mirror I saw was no ordinary one though. It had intricate borders that were painted with beautiful colors. I got up from my seat and walked over to the mirror in pure amazement. I have never seen one like it before. The borders depicted some sort of scene with different creatures and people who wore blue robes. The robed persons were gathered around in a circle. It looked like they were chanting or doing a Séance. "Strange." I whispered. On the top of the frame and to each side of it, there were indentations. The shapes looked familiar but the answer wouldn't come to me at that moment.

"Hey there cutie, you like it?" said a voice behind me. I spun around to see my classmate Jake Roy standing there with big his hands in his jean pockets. His long, wavy black hair was tied back in a pony tail and he was wearing his favorite purple track sweatshirt. Its bold white words said on the back, "If you can read this, then you are where you're supposed to be." For some odd reason, that was incredibly funny to me.

"Yes, I actually do. It's interesting but beautiful." I turned back to the reflection. "Why did you bring in a mirror?"

"Well, I couldn't find anything else about my family and I really need to ace this project. So might as well bring in this."

"What do you have in this class?" I unconsciously asked.

"A 79."

"Ohh, so close!"

Jake sighed. "I know! If I ace this, I'll be set for a B."

I arched an eyebrow. "Your mom made you bring in this. Didn't she?"

Jake hung his head in shame. "Yes. She told me to do it or die; or something along those lines."

I changed the subject. "Did your family make this?"

Jake stepped closer to the mirror like a salesman trying to catch an interested customer. "Actually, I have no idea. There are stories about how my family came upon it but other than that, I don't have any factual evidence."

Jake was already creeping me out with the moves. I took a quick peek at the clock upon the wall. We had about 15 minutes before the bell rang. I couldn't sit next to Sharon because she was still mad at me for this morning. Her glare had already scared my mind at the locker bank and I wasn't about to let my mind get scarred again. "Oh. Okay then, what is one of the stories?" I figured his tale should at least allow me to stall for a bit.

"Long story short, way back when, one of my ancestors on my dad's side was fishing on the Irish coast. It started to rain and he ran for cover. He found an isolated cavern. It was raining heavily and it didn't look like it was going to stop any time soon, so he decided to look around. Soon after that," Jake placed his hand on the frame. "he found this in the rock wall."

"Wait a second. That man found this" I tapped on the mirror. "in the wall?"

"Well, no. Not the whole thing. Let me actually finish, will you?" He took his hand off the mirror. "He found the reflective part. Strange, but true. His wife's birthday was up coming soon, so he came back to the cavern, two days later, to chisel it out. While he was in the process of that, he slipped and fell into the mirror."

"He fell into the mirror?" I looked at him, confused. How do you fall into a mirror? Is that even possible?"

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. I wasn't very good with bizarre explanations but I still didn't want to go back to Sharon. That means I had no choice but to bear with it. My family could never understand why I hated weird stories. All I knew is that when I heard one, what happened in the story suddenly happened to me too or they gave me nightmares.

"They say that he went to different worlds and met this group called The Keeper's Guild." Jake continued. "They apparently watch these worlds and "keep the peace". Get it? Keep the peace?" he started cracking up but I didn't find it funny.

"Okay? Go on. How did he get back?" The request came out insistent.

"Whoa! Someone's interested! I didn't think you'd be the one to like these kinds of stories, Callie."

I punched his arm but it didn't affect him what so ever because his arm was thick with muscles. I secretly regretted hitting him as my hand slightly throbbed. "Shut up and answer my question, Jake." I said, rubbing my hand. Jake took one look at my hand and laughed.

"You okay?"

I growled in response.

"Fine! Fine! Take a chill pill! The Keepers sent him back. Before that, they made him promise not to tell anyone. Because he was a man of his word, he didn't. He just finished the job and made this mirror. The art work was done later after it was placed into a wooden frame.

"See? Check it out!" Jake turned the rolling mirror around and I felt the back. It was defiantly wood.

On the upper right hand corner, there was a wide crack. The mirror was about six feet tall so I had to stand on my toes just to touch it. It felt like a rock that was in a cold, damp spot for a long time.

"Wait a minute…"

"Now what Callie? I actually finished this time!"

I ignored his statement and continued. "If he wasn't supposed to tell anyone, how did your family find out about the journey your relative took in the…mirror?"

"Good question. He had a journal and wrote about his travels in there. That diary was found and read. Ironically, people still found out the mirror through his writings so, he didn't end up breaking his promise." Jake finished. There was a big grin on his small face. He was somehow proud of his story.

"That's cool. You're so lucky!" I told Jake."At least you have something that is somewhat cool to say about your family history. I still have to make some crap up." A moment later we both started laughing. I suck at making stuff up on the spot, especially if I didn't prepare for it, which I didn't.

After the joke faded off, I glanced again at the clock. I had four minutes to kill. We both stared at the mirror, unsure of what else to say. Then, a thought arose. "Do you believe the story?" I asked Jake.

I sort of enjoyed his story about the Roy Family Mirror. It was both mysterious and weird at the same time. As was mentioned before, I wasn't a fan of fiction, but there was something about this story that was appealing. Something in me wanted to believe it.

"Well…" he started but the bell cut him off. "I'll get back to you on that!" he said as he rushed to his seat and I rushed to mine.


	3. Chapter 3: Ancestral History Extravaganz

Chapter 3: Ancestral History Extravaganza

The first period bell rang loud and clear for all to hear. Then, whole of Brookton Junior High unanimously stood up to say the "Pledge of Allegiance".

Brookton wasn't a very big school. There was about thousand kids total in the entire school. More students were supposed to attend but the capacity had already been overreached.

For a quick overview, my school had 3 types of groups. One group loved to make fun of people and didn't care how others felt about it. Another cluster cared a little, but acted really immature. The final bunch, the one I resent every day, were the preppies whom acted nice to you up front but totally tore you down behind your back. . The worst part of it is, this group makes up the majority of the student population. The only solution was to completely stay loner. Well, until Sharon came that is.

Despite the three distinct social groups, the students of Brookton Junior High had two things in common: they were all athletic in some way and strongly believed in team spirit. Even Sharon, who was one of the cheer captains, dragged me to every single pep rally. Sport assemblies were common since our teams usually make to state every year.

Just as a short note, I'm not a cheery person, which is the only reason why I don't like prep rallies. They are viewed by me, as a waste of time and extremely annoying. People think that they are somehow superior than the team they are opposing during prep rallies; even though it's true based on my school's track record of teams going to state. What I am trying to say is that it's stupid because the other team is probably having a similar pep rally to defeat us. In the end, it's all about secretly hating each other and not letting other side win. I don't know if that makes any sense all but I hope you know what I mean.

"Alright class!" Mr. Bogerson exclaimed to wake us up after the announcements by our principle's monotone voice. He hurried into the classroom with his black coat and his matching hat. A brown briefcase was in one hand. We could barely see his face under his hat due to the lighting. I guess he wanted to be an office worker when he was in college but got stuck with teaching. Poor guy, he has to teach idiots.

"I believe the Ancestral History Extravaganza is today! Since we are currently low on time," Mr. Bogerson checked his watch as he walked across the front of the classroom to his desk on the right hand corner. "We will have to start immediately and in ABC order, which will be my attendance check." With that he removed his coat and sat down in his seat and called out the first name.

"Let the torture begin!" I heard someone mutter behind me. I could tell from what I heard people whisper around me, they weren't exactly thrilled to speak about their family to everyone. Who could blame them? I wasn't very fond of the idea either.

About 35 minutes later, the presentation part of the project, what seemed like endless hours awkwardness and "um's", was finally over. Some of them weren't as bad as I originally thought they would be. Jake didn't talk about the story behind the mirror though, which disappointed me.

"Okay!" Mr. Bogerson exclaimed as he stood from his chair. He walked to the front the classroom and started to stretch himself out. By the way he was doing it; we could all tell that he would probably reconsider the oral part of the Ancestral History Extravaganza for next year.

After spending three minutes of watching our history teacher doing running stretches in front of us, (he tends to do that a lot), he intently looked at the clock on the wall, then at us. He had intense green eyes and a small face. I swore that he looked like a mutant snake in the beginning of the school year.

Mr. Bogerson stood in front of us for a long minute with his muscular hands in his pant pockets. The kids around me started to shrink into their seats and I did the same thing. Our teacher looked so disturbing with his snake-like face and eyes, and his big muscular frame. Mr. Bogerson was the head wrestling coach for Brookton which explained his body and made kids double think about pissing him off. He looked like he was either going to kick the crap out of us or wrestle us to death any minute.

"Mr. Bogerson?" a student from the back of the class called out. The scared call shook our frightening teacher out of his death stare.

"What? Oh..!" he realized what he had been doing. "Sorry guys! Blanked out there." We all sighed to release the tension that was building up in our bodies.

"Well! You all brought in wonderful things for your presentations today. Umm…" he was unsure of how to get back on track after knowing he just scared the crap out of us. Mr. Bogerson just stood there, his hand rubbing the back of his head. "Since we have at least 11 minutes left in the period, why don't you guys bring up your items to the front so we can take a closer look at them?"

Groaning, my classmates and I brought our family items and placed them on the floor neatly. I set my grandmother's dress right besides Sharon's locket.

"Oh my god Callie!" Sharon exclaimed. "That's such a beautiful dress!"

"I know Sharon." I told her. "You already informed me about ten times so far."

"I'm sorry but it's true. That is pretty dress. Don't you think so?"

I looked down at the outfit that was at my feet. It was long and bright red. The kind of red you sometimes see women wear on the ads in Walgreens. It also had a black flower design on the sides of the dress. It looked like an elegant 1940's dress. Yet, even though it was pretty, it didn't look appealing to me. "Not really." I warily answered.

Sharon was dumbfounded by my answer for some reason, although it was plain and simple. She bent down to pick up the dress. "What?" She said loudly, drawing attention towards us. I quickly tried to calm her down but despite all efforts, I couldn't stop her.

"It looks super cute!" she ranted on, pointing angrily at the clothing. I rolled my eyes. Did I mention that she was a fashion freak?

I waited there quietly to let her vent off. Till then, I watched the clouds go by out the window. They were going surprising slowly today. Then, she finally decided to shut her mouth, after realizing that I wasn't listening to a word she was saying. I snapped myself back into the classroom and met her boggled eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.

"You know what?" I started to have a really bad feeling about what was going to go down next.

"Mr. Bogerson?" she called.

"Sharon? What are you doing?" I cautiously asked her. This can't be good.

"Yes Sharon?" Mr. Bogerson was at his desk, typing something on his laptop.

"May Callie and I go to the restroom?"

Our teacher gazed at the two of us suspiciously. He was wondering whether he should trust us or not. I silently prayed that he would say "The class will over soon. You can wait right?" But I wasn't that lucky. He probably remembered that Sharon was a goodie-good.

"Okay." he said and went back to his finger typing. I groaned. This could _**not**_ be happening.

Sharon grabbed my hand and tore out of the room. I prayed to God or any other higher power out there to please grant me some luck so I won't look like an idiot when I walked back in.

The reaction I received when I returned was not what I was hoping for but feared for. Everyone stopped what they were doing and gawked at me. I closed my eyes. Oh no. Any second now, there will be a laugh.

"Go on." Sharon nudged me towards Jake's mirror. I could tell she was enjoying every minute of this. "See! Don't you look cute?" I slowly opened my eyes and saw my reflection. I was shocked by what I saw.

The dress didn't look horrible on me, in fact, it looked awesome. The dress fit me perfectly, as if it was custom- tailored for me to look amazing. The red fabric complemented my brown hair, which stopped just past my shoulders. Sharon added her red lip gloss that she always kept handy. I joined the rest of my class's expression.

I never thought of wearing "the style" or trying to be popular. I left that bracket for them to take over. No matter how hard I tried to stay away from them, the harder and swifter they are upon me to change and to be a something they could laugh about during parties or over lunch. I refused to be in one of their hypocritical groups. I never even consider make up as an option. I thought that if I got hooked on, I would turn into them. But looking at myself now, maybe I was wrong. About everything…

"Callie! I love your dress! It makes you look… nicer."

Like a flash, my thoughts and hopes for humanity and my own being went down the drain. I knew exactly who said that. It was GiGi Clarkis, who was now standing right next to me. I could hear the total sarcasm in her bratty voice that haunts me every night. (Exaggeration)

"Why thank you GiGi." Sharon cheerfully said on my behalf. Both GiGi and I stared at Sharon in total bewilderment. Even a little kid could tell that GiGi didn't mean what she just said. I sighed and shook my head. Sharon clearly couldn't tell the difference between sarcasm and a compliment, even if it came and kicked her in the face.

"Who's this foxy lady?" came a deep voice from behind my best friend. We all turned to see Akshay Khan standing by us.

Akshay is Indian but American born. Although, Akshay is extremely cuter than the stereotypical looks people have for young Indian boys. Instead of the normal hair that was combed neatly to the side, he wore his straight but spiked at the front. Some of his hair covered his left eye which made him sort of mysterious. In addition, instead of being extremely skinny, he had a muscular body due to wrestling and football. The girls dreamed about dating him all the time. It's all they talk about in the gym locker rooms.

"Oh, hey Akshay! You like Callie's dress?" Sharon asked, smiling brightly at him.

Sharon and Akshay are really close friends since their parents know each other. If there was a couple of the year section in the Brookton Junior High yearbooks, Akshay and Sharon would so be one of the nominees. Everyone thinks that they should go out but they say it would never work out. Some excuse!

"Yeah. She looks sexy. She should dresses more often." I shook my head. I personally don't have a problem with Akshay but he does have one major issue. He can be completely perverted, making him an idiot most of the times. I'm not a big fan of him, compared to the other girls; however, to hear even him saying that… Him of all people…

"You think so?" I asked him. What am I saying? I sound so pathetic!

"Yeah. You'll even beat GiGi over there." He jutted his thumb towards GiGi. GiGi's perfect, make- upped face turned to a darker shade of pink as she shook in anger. She couldn't believe a girl like me was being complimented over her by one of the hottest guys in the 8th grade.

"She couldn't, even if she tried. Please take note that I am _**the only **_11th time winner of the Glenbarg County Beauty Pageant here."

GiGi brushed her long hair with her hand and batted her eyes at a group of boys who were standing around talking. They all blushed and tried to divert their attention from GiGi. As if to further establish her point, she waved at them.

I rolled my eyes and stepped closer to the mirror. "Yeah and the only bitch here!"


	4. Chapter 4: Unexpected Field Trip

Chapter 4: Unexpected Field Trip

Oh no! I accidentally said that out loud. Sharon stepped closer to me and, for the second time today, she gave me the "disappointed" stare. The only difference was that she incorporated a shocked expression on her face.

Akshay ran his hand down his face. "Oh no. What the heck Callie. What'd you do?" he asked me. I didn't know how to answer.

My heart pounded in my chest and my blood began to go cold. I could literally hear the blood rushing in my head. My cheeks were getting hotter. The eyes of the spectators were like sharp icicles on my back. Seconds became minutes. How long was it going to be this tense here? Should I just get it over with and apologize to GiGi?

"What did you call me?" GiGi said in a quiet voice as if she was smacked across the face. As usual, she tried to sound innocent so the people around us could clearly see that it was my wrongdoing.

At the sound of her feeble voice, all of the anger from the past crimes she committed against me came flying out. I looked her square in the eye. "You heard me. " I said in a serious tone. "And what are _**you**_ going to do about it?" I got closer to her face for a second, and then stepped back towards the mirror. I bumped into Sharon but I didn't turn to say sorry.

I discreetly glanced around the room. My classmates, and my teacher, were still looking from me to GiGi and from GiGi, back to me. They were just as stunned as Sharon to hear me defend myself. With that, confidence grew inside me. I stood there, waiting for what GiGi was going to hit me with next. I wasn't going to allow her to bully me anymore. However, instead of harsh words, a blurred foot came and hit my chest. Sharon and I were sent flying into Jake' s mirror.

I expected it to break and to find myself coming around on the classroom floor, with Sharon and glass pieces under me. Instead, I felt myself being slowly pulled into some substance. It was thick and it felt like I was sinking into maple syrup.

Moment by moment, I was drowning. Everyone was standing in front of me in disbelief of what was happening right in front of them. The seconds ticked away with no action. It suddenly hit me that they weren't going to do anything at all. I was going to die in the hands of my class! I only had a limited time left before I was fully submerged. As my final hope that someone might save me, my hand thrust out in a silent plea for help.

"Hellpaa.." I called out but my face went behind the surface. I couldn't breathe! Despite the fact that darkness was all I could now see, my hands could feel the air.

Pressure in my chest built up from the lack of air and desperation. No! It could not end this way! But, there was nothing I could do. I couldn't move my body behind the substance. So, this is what it feels like to drown; a struggle that drags you to the mouth of death.

I felt another hand grasp mine. "Wait!" I heard someone yell, but by then, it was too late for anyone to save me. There was no going back now. My hands slipped out of the person's grip and I fell into the darkness.

"Why did you do that?" a small voice yelled in the darkness. The little white creature, which was about half a foot tall, was not a fur ball but looked exceptionally like one. Its sky blue eyes grew in fury as he jumped up and down on his master's shoulder.

"I can use them." said a calm voice.

The thirty year old wizard sounded ten years younger than his actual age. He was about six feet tall which made his light purple robe brushed the floor as he paced around the pitch dark. The cloth shielded him from the chilling coldness that covers the Amid No Where. In this realm, time and space do not exist which allows the wizard to stay thirty.

Although it was darker than the night in the realm, you could still see the Warlock and his pet as if you were looking at them in daylight. At the moment, the little creature was flabbergasted at the young master's answer.

"What?" the white ball was jumping up and down furiously; faster at the answer.

"Believe it or not, we need them." The person answered and the hopping stopped.

"How? They're not ready to become real Kaels yet! I mean, come on! They don't even have enough experience. They're just kids, for crying out loud!"

"I can train them."

"Once again, how? We don't even know if we have enough time till -"

"Don't worry!" the man snapped. "We have more time than you think. Dougal won't move until he can obtain sufficient strength and minions he needs to make his next move. After that last blow I gave him," he smiled cunningly. "we should be fine."

"Yes that might be so," the companion said and jumped down from the shoulder and onto the freezing black ground. "but how are you going to do that? Must I remind you that we were cast into this forsaken place to escape Dougal himself? What can we possibly do to stop him? Have you forgotten that we are now innocent bystanders of the war to come? How can you take this lightly?"

The man smiled and bent down to pat his beloved friend lightly on the head. "No my little friend, I remember. However, all hope is not lost. There is still something I can do. I can control the mirror and where it transports the children, since we are inside it."

"Oh, I see." A few moments passed by in silence as they both looked at each other. "Wait a minute!" the loyal friend piped up after the Wizard's words said finally sank in. "You don't mean…? Are you really going to…?"?

"Yes." The man gazed up at the blackness surrounding him. "Yes I am." And he closed his eyes to focus.

" Ahh!" I was falling down into a deep, black mass of… nothing. The rate at which I was falling at seemed like 90 mph. Am I dead? Is this what happens after death?

After I sank into whatever I sank into, I woke up; only to find myself falling into nothing. It has been like this for hours and it didn't feel good at all. The mass was like a Antarctic's night air. Goosebumps were overgrown chickenpoxs up and down my skin. The freezing wind struck my face like sharp steak knives. Not only that, but it was numbing up so badly and my eyes were starting to rain tears. I wondered how I would look in a mirror right now.

The only difference between the night's darkness and this darkness is that there was no hint of any light source. It was just me and the pitch dark.

As my journey dragged on, I found I was flying in all directions and ways. One moment I was flying upside down, then the whole place shuddered and I was twisted straight up. I started flying with my body standing up. I passed through many zones and with each one, my body was shifted to another position.

The strangest moment was when I saw a bright light in the distance, to my right. I squinted my eyes to make out the figure standing that was standing. I tried to say something but it didn't work out. All I could get was "AAAAHHHH!" The light was getting dimmer and I gave up trying to make contact.

When the light was only a dot, a shot of light burst out and came at me with blinding speed. "Hoooly…"

I didn't feel it hit me but it surrounded me, blending in with the black cloud. Orange, foreign words that I didn't understand swirled in the air. I stared in amazement. "Magic," was all that went through my mind. The twister went faster and concentrated on my arm.

Downward it went, and the first touch made an animal on my hand. I saw a head of an eagle followed by the body of a lion. A pair of large wings stretched to the beginning of my fingers. The mark glowed fiery red, then faded bit by bit into my skin. I waited for something big to happen, like in the movies; but nothing did.

I continued to scream my heart out as I kept on going. "Does this end?" I managed to yell. As if to answer my question, the mass opened up, and a red floor came rushing up to greet me. "Oh crap!" I tried to move out of the way but I hit the surface.

Two pairs of strong arms pulled me from the ground. My cheek had indents on it because of the flooring, which I'm guessing was carpeting. I shook my head to get rid of the dizziness that was now clouding my mind. My head felt as if it got hit with a baseball bat several times. Well, I that's what I get when I fall from…

I slowly opened my eyes and dared to look up. Two men in medieval clothing were holding me by my arms. Did I drop into a Shakespearean play? I thought about all the possible plays my school was doing this year. Nothing came up about Shakespeare.

"Bring her to me!" shouted a loud feminine voice. I was lightly shoved forward and started walking. The crowd that was before me was parting the way for us to get through. Every single person in the crowd was wearing, yeah you guessed it, medieval clothing.

The room was like a huge banquet hall but older looking. There was no dance floor or anything; just fancy chairs, wallpaper, carpets, etc. They were mostly red or velvet with hints of gold and silver on them. The doors, window frames, and chairs were all made of wood. That would suck if this place caught on fire.

Long windows hung along the walls in the front which was where I was heading. They brought in the warm sunshine that was radiating outside. The warmth felt so good against me considering that I was in Antarctica only a few minutes earlier.

Describing the rest of the room was a difficult challenge because of my painful headache began blurring my sight. Chairs and people began to double in numbers. I really needed to see a doctor.

My captors and I continued to walk to the front of the chamber. I had fallen towards the back, by a pair of doors. As we marched, I tried to search frantically for the black hole, but there was no sign of it. The hole wasn't coming back, meaning I was stuck here for now.

The march stopped abruptly and I found myself before a silver chair with a velvet seating on it. A lady was sitting on it.

The woman looked vaguely familiar. I racked my brain trying to figure out where I saw her before. She had reddish hair and a very triangular face. Her dark eyes stared down at me intensely. There was an important appearance to her. I kept on racking my brain. Where did I see her before?

The red dress she was wearing was huge. It seemed as if she was wearing at least two Prom dresses under there! Also, there were diamonds, gold, and sequence all over the gown; making it special and different from the dresses that the other woman were wearing. Although she did look pretty, her overall presence sent chills throughout my body. I defiantly didn't want to upset this lady.

"Who art thou?" the woman spoke in a pure British accent. Her voice made her sound superior. What should I say? I glanced around me. Ladies with high hair buns were whispering to each other, trying not to stare at me.

Anger shot up like Mentos and Coca- Cola. Why do people do that? Why can't they say things up front? Humans are weird. They think that it is awful to say bad things in someone's face but then think it's okay to speak about them behind their backs. Everyone is guilty and the worst part of it is, it's incredibly hard to stop. Humans are conservative even though they deny it. Sometimes I wonder how we can live with ourselves. I had enough with people talking about me behind my back. I already had that back at the classroom and it was not going to happened here!

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?" I exclaimed. "Where the heck am I? Some whacked out movie?" I twisted out of the men's grasp and walked around the room. "Where is your director?"

My words echoed against the walls of the room. I slowly opened my eyes after just yelling. Every single person in the chamber was gaping at me like I just said I was Jesus. This reaction made me begin to believe that maybe this was the real deal, not some movie.

"Do you reckon she is a witch?" I heard someone murmur a little too loudly behind me. The distracted anger sprung up again. A witch? Who even suggests that anymore? If I guessed right, being a witch could get you executed. I was not going to let this guy get me into _**more**_ trouble.

I spun around to find who said it. "Are you serious? Okay, who said that? Do I look like a witch to you people?" My question brought a spontaneous burst whispering. The lady in the chair screamed for order. Instantly, the room was quiet again.

She sighed and stared down at me. "I shall ask you again. Who are you?"

I debated for a moment on whether I should answer her question or not. I searched for the big wooden doors I saw previously. They weren't too far off. I was pretty good at the 50 Yard Dash and I could probably make it if I chose not to answer her question. I could also probably beat the guards to the doors, but there were two main problems. One, what happens if there were other guards posted behind the double doors? How would I get past them? Plus, if I somehow found a way to get through them, where would I run to? This place is foreign to me. For all I know, I could run into another bunch of guards….

"We are waiting!" a loud voice shattered my thoughts. The lady was growing cherry red.

"Okay. Okay. Take a chill pill." I calmly told her. Her face showed total confusion. I guess she didn't know what a "chill pill" meant.

"She just told her majesty to take poison!" someone exclaimed.

"What!" I said but was plummeted with an "off with her head!" sort of thing. This wasn't going as I had planned. I needed to end this and move on. But how am I going to do that? Everybody thinks I'm already psycho!

"Silence!" the lady screamed for the fifth time. Bit by bit, the commotion settled down. Now, the crowd was worst than before. I started to panic. One wrong move and I'm off to the gallows!

"You may continue." The lady leader told me in an irritated tone. I think she was happy that she did not have to repeat her question again.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I had to choose my words wisely and sound personable to gain some good reputation before I am whisked off to the gallows. "Okay. My name is Catharine Pellegrino, but people call me Callie. I am 15 years old and I'm from-" I froze.

A thought hit me. What will I tell them about where I came from? I obviously can not tell them I am from the United States. By this time in history, the knowledge North America probably doesn't even exist! Can I make something up? If they believe me, they could ship me back to where I tell them? Or would they even do that?

"She's from Majorca, my queen!"


	5. Chapter 5 and 6

Chapter Five: Saved by Calvin Klein Model

A shout came from behind the mass of men and women who were watching my interrogation. I look at the scary lady. My queen? She's a queen? Well, someone before said "her majesty." Maybe yelling at her probably wasn't a good idea.

Then, once again today, I was hit by another thought. I remember now! I felt like an idiot. The woman, who was now standing to her feet and searching the crowd, was Queen Elizabeth the First of England. How could I forget?

My history class went to a museum two years ago and I saw her portrait. I felt the same way about her as I feel now. She freaks the crap out of me! But why here? Out of all the places I can be, why here, in England and in the queen's castle; hundreds of miles away from the United States?

"Who said that?" the queen said, still scanning the crowd. "Come forward!"

A man stepped out from the mass. He was wearing similar medieval clothing as the other men. He had black tights with matching a cream coat. Two rows of light green stripes ran down each side. A loose white shirt could be seen underneath the buttoned down coat.

The newcomer could have came out of a Calvin Klein magazine, that was how good looking he was. I didn't have to see him to know that he was well like because all ladies were gasping, whispering, and blushing as he cut through the parting crowd. This guy was most likely on the Top Ten Hunk List for these ladies. His shoulder- length, soft, brown hair bounced up and down as he walking towards the throne. It was if different from the other hairstyles of the room which were higher cut. Every aspect of this man was godlike, his face, his charming smile, his buff, physical form, and even the way he walked was perfect! He walked was like he was walking on air; so gracefully and confidently. Everyone seemed to be fond of this man. Even the Queen had calmed down when he finally reached her throne.

"Sir Robert." Queen Elizabeth nodded to him. She acknowledged with complete respect and honor. This Robert guy must have an important title or job. Why would such an important and revered man as Robert risk himself to save me? Can this day get any more confusing?

"My queen." was all he said as knelt down to one knee and kissed her hand.

"Do you know this young lady?" the queen asked him.

"Yes, I do your majesty." Sir Robert stood to his feet and walked towards me. "Play along." he whispered to me.

"Well, no crap, Sherlock!" I whispered back. I received a look that was a mix of "What the heck?" and "Shut up."

Robert took and deep breath, and then began his explanation. He shouted like he just found the greatest discovery ever in the history of mankind. "She's from the humble island of Majorca, my queen."

The name Majorca sounded familiar. I knew that Majorca was a real place, thanks to history class. The location of the country didn't come to me.

I glanced around the room. It seemed that the crowd appeared to buy the excuse! I realized Sir Robert's strategy. If you pick a place that is real but no one knows where it is and won't even go to, and then they can't send you back or do anything! I sighed in relief. Maybe I was going to make it out of here alive.

"That might be true, but how do we know that she is not a spy?"

The person who spoke out had a voice that was soft but commanded attention. There was another session of whispering and gasping. I rolled my eyes. These people were ridiculous!

"Sir Nicholi." Sir Robert acknowledged someone behind me. He sounded tense at the name. What happened to the Mr. Confident that stood next to me just a minute ago? Puzzled, I turned to see who Sir Robert was talking to. I didn't turn far because a tall man was standing not even a foot behind me.

His thin arms were crossed over his chest as he loomed over me. His two pure crystal blue eyes were watching me intently. Short locks of blonde hair were only inches from my face. Shocked at this guy's abrupt appearance, I instantly cringed backwards. Where did he come from? I didn't even hear him! I immediately guessed that this he was the "Sir Nicholi" that Robert was speaking to. Nicholi continued staring at me. Was he trying to scare me? If he was, it was defiantly working!

"How do you know that she is a spy?" Sir Robert asked Nicholi.

"Well, because Majorca, which is where this lady is claimed to be from, is actually an island beside Spain." he said in a matter-of- fact way. The word Spain brought another gasp from the audience. I winced, realizing that Sir Nicholi was correct. Majorca was not far from Spain. The main problem is that Spain and England were huge enemies during this time period. Why did Sir Idiot say that I was from an island by Spain? And of all places, Spain! I looked at my "savior". Was he _**trying**_ to get me killed?

Robert too could also feel the tension build up in the room. He had to make up something good and fast; before things became much worse than it already was. A second later light bulb apparently went off in his head, because the sure smile and attitude was back on his face. Sir Nicholi too saw the change in Robert. He stiffened his posture as if ready to block his opponent's next attack. The total black outfit that he was wearing looked loose for him. He looked like a strong tree branch. Well, he did look slender and stiff like a branch…

"She isn't. I should know." Robert said simply.

"Why should you know?" said Nicholi.

"Because she is my cousin." Another gasp from the crowd. I even heard "Lucky!" from one of the girls.

Nicholi shook his head and smiled. "You're just saying that to protect her."

"I have proof!" Robert reached into his shirt and pulled out an old piece of paper. He gave it to an officer who then handed it to the queen.

"What Sir Robert says is true." she said a few moments later. "Her home was burned with her parents inside during a Spanish raid." She folded the paper and gave it back to Robert. She looked at me with sympathy.. "She has come here to stay live with Sir Robert because the rest of her relatives were also killed in the raid." I took that as a cue to look as innocent as innocent as I could.

"But my queen!" Nicholi butted in. I felt my face grow hot. Come on! What more did this guy have to say? "How do we know what they say is true? You cannot possibly be considering what that letter says is true!"

"Your majesty," Robert went forward and bowed at the Queen's feet. "I have been your humble advisor for years now. Would I do anything that might bring you any harm? I swear on my life, my sweet cousin Catharine is as harmless as a butterfly."

Sir Nicholi didn't say anything more. He just stood there, silent as the night. I almost forgot he was there. The newcomer seemed to be calm despite the clear defeat which did scared me a bit. I began to study him. Was he planning something?

"Catherine Pellegrino?"

I returned my attention to Queen Elizabeth. "Yes – um- your highness?"

"You can stay in the palace for now." She kept her sad look for a moment before turning to Robert. "And Sir Robert."

"Your majesty?"

"Come to my study where we can discuss this matter in private." Her eyes scanned the court. "Lady Cavendish? Grace!"

A girl appeared from the crowd of people. She looked about my age or at least a year younger than me. She had long dirty blond hair that was tied in a high bun. The nice long dress she was wearing was yellow and white, better than most of the other ladies of the court. She approached the throne. "Yes, my queen?"

"Take Lady Catharine to one of the guest rooms then show her around the palace."

Lady Grace curtsied and said, "Yes, your majesty."

"Very well then. Court dismissed!" The Queen and her court walked out of the room. I turned around to look for Sir Nicholi but he disappeared like a ghost. A few minutes later, Robert and I were the only ones left standing in the throne room other than the guards.

"Wow. That was something wasn't it?" he said to me, rubbing the back of his head and walking towards me.

"Yeah, and you almost got me killed!" I retorted. "Majorca? Really?

Robert had a hurt look. "Hey! It was all I could think of. You came out of nowhere and I just arrived. I only had seconds to come up with something! Besides," He leaned to me and grinned. "it worked out in the end, didn't it?"

That was true. "Yeah, whatever. Anyways, why did you even help me out in the first place?"

"Let's just say that I was ordered to. Plus, I saw that mark on your hand."

"What mark?" I looked blankly on my hand and I suddenly remembered what. "Right! The animal. The…" What's it called? I knew I saw it before in the movie, _Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe_. "The gippen? Greffan?"

Robert chuckled. "Close enough. It's called a griffin."

"What is it for?"

"It's a mark that indicates a spell and who put it." He took my hand. They were warm. I squirmed. "Well, you got a Language Spell put on you." he said after studying it.

"How can you tell?" I peeked at where the spell mark once was. There was nothing there. Was he pulling my leg? He could see it? How?

"There are little words that say so in Celtic."

"And?"

"It immediately translates any foreign language into something you can understand. For example, it translates Old English into what you call modern English."

I blinked. "It can do that?"

"Yes. So, no matter where you go, you can understand the people around you. Not only that, they can understand anything you say."

"Nice!" I sized him up. His big grin told me that he knew something I didn't. I decided to push my luck. There were so many questions to ask. He seemed to have all the answers. My head was spinning in wonder and curiosity. Still, finding out what I'm doing here and why appeared most important and urgent.

"So, since you seem to know everything." I took my hand back. "Can you tell me what I'm doing here?"

Robert's grin grew bigger. "Don't worry. You'll find out things soon enough. For now, stay low , " He paused and sighed. "and don't do anything stupid. Please I'm-"

He took a glimpse over my shoulder. Someone was coming towards us. Robert's voice dropped into a whisper. "I have to go out of town for a while but I promise I'll be back to answer your questions." He glanced back again. "Be careful."

The light footsteps stopped behind me. Robert lifted his head. "Good day, Lady Grace." Robert bowed to her. Grace curtsied in returned.

I turned around. "Oh hi, Grace!" Robert elbowed me. "I mean, Lady Grace."

"It's alright. You can call me Grace." she said with a bright smile. "We should be heading off now." She also added.

"Okay." I said nodding.

Robert placed a hand on my shoulder. I squirmed again. "And I should too. Her majesty is probably wondering where I am. " He then said in a soft voice, "Lady Grace, please take care of my cousin. She is all that I have left."

"It would be an honor, Sir Robert." she said with a straight face but there was a hint of sympathy on it. I could tell that this girl was much different to the other girls I have met so far.

Sir Robert sucked in a breath and turned me around. "Goodbye, Catherine." He said to me and gently kissed my forehead. The name Catherine and the kiss made me want to scream because we weren't really related at all. I slightly shifted away from him. "I will be back soon okay?" He added to the acting by putting his hand on my cheek. "Those raiders will pay with their lives." Grace and I watched Robert angrily "stormed" out of the room.

"Convincing." I whispered to myself as he left.

"I beg your pardon?" Grace had a questioning look on her face.

I laughed nervously. "Oh, nothing."

She turned back to the doors that Robert went through. "You are lucky to have Sir Robert as your cousin."

"I am? Why?"

"You don't know?" Grace asked me in surprise.

"Honestly, this is the second time I am seeing Sir Robert in my life." I lied. "My parents never really talked about outside family that much. They were too busy with business." I thought back to the last moment with Robert kissing my head. "But, he used to visit when I was little. I was his favorite and he would send me great presents all the time…" I stopped there, out dry with ideas.

"That makes sense. I'm sorry about what happened to your home. I can't imagine how you feel right now." Grace had a similar depressed expression on her face like the queen. I immediately felt bad about lying.

"Don't worry about it. They are in a better place now." I smiles at her for an addition. Her bright smile also returned and she took my hand.

"Let's go! I'll show you to your room!"

"Okay?" I said. This girl was as hyper as the cheerleaders at my school. How is that even possible?Grace made sure that no one was looking and she ran out the doors, with me holding on to her hand for dear life.

As we ran off, I wondered what I was doing here and if will I ever get back. My stomach felt weird and knew it wasn't because of Grace's mad run. Fear was beginning to take its grip on me as I realized that there was nothing I could do about the situation. All I could do though is to wait for a solution and for Sir Robert to explain everything. Till then, I had to play my cards properly in order to survive. I have entered a whole new world with whole new rules. A little voice in my head told me that my purpose was even bigger than me. Chills ran up my skin. Could it be true? Well, I had to wait and see.

"There is something suspicious about that girl, Nicholi."

"What do you want me to do about it sir?" Sir Nicholi asked the shadow standing beside him on a balcony overlooking the palace gardens. The men watched as Grace and Callie ran below them, across the snow. Grace's excited yells could be heard loud and clear from where they were standing. The freezing temperatures of February didn't seem to affect them.

The shadow didn't answer for a few moments. Nicholi didn't need to see it to know that it was thinking hard about it's decision. His master usually would have a plan ready to go before he would finish his debriefing. What happened to him? Nicholi continued to wait patiently for a reply. His words still hung in the air.

"I want you to watch her. Inform me if anything happens. Then, I'll give you the final orders."

Nicholi nodded. "Yes, my liege."

The dark figure vanished, leaving Nicholi alone in the sunshine and the breeze. He quietly premeditated his moves and walked off with a smirk slowly playing across his face. He had a feeling that this was going to be interesting.

Chapter 6: Maid of Honor Warned of Troubles

"Bark! Bark!" Queen Elizabeth's dog, Henri, ran around the snow piled grass. It was currently spring in England. I was told February brought cold temperatures and snow. However, today was one of those perfect days that made not going outside, hard to resist. The sun was extra warm and its radiance made the snow on the plants and trees glitter. Everything looked like something out of a nature magazine.

"The weather is amazing today!" I told Grace.

"I know! I love walking her majesty's dog in the spring!" Grace answered.

Today, I was accompanying Grace as she did her chore of walking Queen Elizabeth's dog around the palace gardens. The castle gardens were quite lovely actually. Brightly colored flowers were everywhere and the wind made the leaves dance in the air. The whole scene was animated and amazing. In fact, I think I finally appreciate nature now.

It has been a full week since I arrived in England. Since then, I learned many things. For starters, I am in the spring of 1569 in the reign of her majesty, Queen Elizabeth the First.

Sir Robert hasn't been back from his trip yet but I managed to learn some things about him from Grace and gossip sessions. Robert is the Ambassador of the English Colonies. He goes around all the colonies and checks up on them. Not only does he make sure the colonies are following the queen, but inspects domestic areas as well.

Another fact about my "cousin" is that he has many talents. He used to be a military commander before he became an ambassador; meaning he is a skilled swordsman and is highly skilled in tactics. For example, he could watch an opponent fight for a two minutes and know all his or her weaknesses and strengths and use the info he learned against them effectively.

My assumption about the ladies' about Sir Robert were correct. Robert is the Medieval George Cooney or Orlando Bloom. All the girls adored him for his talents, personable character, and last but not least, his looks. When Robert comes home from a trip, they plummeted him with questions and pleas for epic stories. Sure enough, he would give them stories that they would always remember. Even the queen herself sometimes sits in and listens to Robert's tales of the outside world. According to Grace, he tells good tales.

Not much happened during my one week stay in Queen Elizabeth's castle other than becoming a Maid of Honor by saving the Queen's life. A Maid of Honor is like being on the Homecoming Queen's court. They wait on the queen and are always by her. In addition, they do what the queen tells them to do. Even though it may seem like being a servant, it's actually an honor and brings up your social status.

How did I manage to save the Queen of England's life? Well, I was at a big dinner with the Queen's court. There was a comedy group as entertainment during the dinner. The comedy group was supposed to be hilarious but I didn't find any of their jokes funny at all. This was mainly because there was a lot of Old English puns and jokes that I didn't understand. After a while, I got bored and started to head back to my room to get some shut-eye.

On my way out, I snook one last look at the crowd who were eating their dinner. The actors must have said something really funny because they were laughing their heads off.

My eyes rested on the Queen Elizabeth at the head seat. I shook my head in confusion. It might have been my eyes but she skin turned a different color than normal. It took me a second to realize that she was choking on her food. Not thinking, I rushed to the Queen's side. Everyone in the dinner chamber were too engrossed into the presentation to see what was happening to their queen.

I started doing the Heimlich maneuver on her. Elizabeth's skin was turning a mix of blue and purple. I knew enough of First Aid to know that was absolutely not good.

_Thump. Thump._ My fist pushed up her corset hard with no good results. Whatever was choking her wasn't coming out because of her stupid dress!

"The Queen!" someone shouted at last, pointing his pudgy finger at me and the queen. I quickly ducked behind the chair. The whole dining room grew silent as they all saw the Queen's face. The moment went by in a blur because practically the whole room ran to the queen.

"Oh crap." I had to hurry it up. They might try to stop me from trying to save her life! Of course, to a medieval person, it looks like I'm trying to kill her. It doesn't help the fact that I was doing this to their _**queen**_. I pushed harder and faster.

_Pop! _An object came flying out of the queen's mouth. At that second, the crowd decided to surge forward and help the queen. As they moved to her chair, I sank into the background. Sir Robert had told me not to draw any attention. It was probably smart to take his advice. If they did find me with her, they might follow Nicholi's idea of me being a spy.

I went through the kitchen to get to my bedroom. All the chefs, servants, and waitresses were waiting at the kitchen doorway, discussing what just happened. They were too absorbed in their conversation to see me go through. I finally made it to my huge bedroom and flopped onto the soft bed.

I felt someone lightly shaking me by my shoulder sometime later. "Callie. Callie. Callie, wake up." a voice called to me. I opened my eyes to find Grace standing over me and shaking my shoulder.

"What is it? Is it already morning?" I sat up on the bed. The curtains were partly opened. The sunlight shined on my face, forcing me to squint at Grace. She was in her nightgown and her hair was slightly undone.

"Yes, and the queen want to see you in her chambers!"

To say the truth, I was nervous when I entered her room. Who wouldn't be? Anyways, Queen Elizabeth thanked me for saving her life and invited me to sit down and have a talk with her. That day was Sunday so she couldn't do anything else according to the Ten Commandments.

We spoke for hours on just about everything. We talked about life, fashion, education, and even horses. The conversation went well until she asked me questions about my home in Majorca. I didn't want to lie to her since she had been so nice to me and seemed like a cool person. I finally ended up telling her about the people at my school but staying along the lines of the lie.

Elizabeth looked interested as I spoke about their actions, fashions, gossips etc. At the end, she said that she was glad that I wasn't like the other girls who only care about looks and boys. I think I made a very good impression of myself because she appointed me as a Maid of Honor.

She then excused me because we both had to get ready for Sunday mass, which I wasn't looking forward to. I haven't been to church since Easter. As I turned to leave, I realized something.

"Queen Elizabeth?" I asked.

"Yes, my dear?"

"How did you know it was me who saved your life?" Elizabeth smiled brightly and walked to a small table. She held up a light green band. "This is yours, I presume?" she said and tossed it to me.

All I could do is blink is shock as I stared at the object, now in my hand. My lucky scrunchie! I always wore it for good luck. I must have brought it to school for the history presentation and totally forgot that I had it on!

"But, how did you know it was mine?"

She smiled brightly. "You were wearing it when you first came here."

"Oh." I curtsied. "Thank you, your majesty." I walked out of the room. Tears began rolling down my eyes.

It was once Sharon's. She had given it to me when we first met. There was a huge presentation going on that day and I forgot to get one from home. I couldn't focus correctly without one in my hair. She saw me try to work something out in the bathroom and offered hers to me, wishing me luck.

When I tried to return the loan after owning the presentation, she said that I could keep it. "Think of it as a gift." she told me. "A gift from a friend." her loving smile made my body grow warm for the first time in my life. Someone actually had called me as a friend.

From that day on, Sharon and I became best buddies. She helped me and gave me courage. Now, I was stuck in a place that I don't even know without her. Where was she? Was she even okay?

"This is my entire fault." I wept in my room. "If only… If only I kept quiet to GiGi! Then maybe I wouldn't be here!" I pounded the bed in frustration as my tears stained the red blanket. I immediately wished Robert was here.

"Stop crying." said a faint voice. "Sharon is okay and so are you." I looked around the room. No one but me was here. Who said that? My tears stopped coming. I didn't feel sad, or guilty, or confused anymore. Instead, I fell asleep in my own tears.

I ended up sleeping for until the next morning. The following days, I was so busy moving my things and new cloths into the room I now share with Grace, and these two girls named Sarah and Mary, that I totally forgot about my feelings. Truthfully, I haven't thought about that moment until now. Who said that and why? Was it just my imagination?

I snapped back to reality. The sky was growing pinkish-orange and the shadows were becoming larger. I searched around for Grace but she disappeared. "Grace?" I called out but it just echoed through the garden. Great! I lost her.

I walked around, seeing if I could find her. A few minutes later, I realized that I was all alone with the trees. I looked towards the sky. The stars were barely visible through the fading light.

"I should probably leave…" Then it hit me. It was probably dinnertime now! "Crap!" The Maids of Honor usually ate with the Queen but before that, we had to change into something nice. If I didn't want to be late and get in trouble with the Queen, I had to move! Now!

I picked up my hunting skirt, or that's what they call it, and sprinted to the doors. I was going so fast that I didn't hear the guard greet me as I went through them!

The halls were extremely dark. The servant maids didn't light the lanterns yet. I ran into tables and chairs a couple of times since it was so difficult to see. No one was in the halls or in their rooms. "I must be very…"

_BAM! _I landed on the floor with a "UFF!." I had collided with something when I turned the corner.

"I am terribly sorry… Oh." Sir Nicholi was standing over me. He was holding a piece of paper in one hand and a mini lantern in the other. The light showed his blues eyes grow dark for a second. Why was he angry? Was he angry at _**me**_?

"I'm sorry." I fearfully said. He returned to normal and stretched out his hand.

"No, do not be. It is dreadfully dark in the halls this evening and you are in a hurry. Are you not?" I grasped his hand and he pulled me to my feet. He was surprisingly strong.

"Thank you."

"You should be careful, Lady Catherine. Especially in these parts. You could get in trouble. Nothing is what it seems." Nicholi said this in a harsh tone.

"What do you mean?" I asked him but he wasn't paying attention to me. Nicholi spun on his heel and walked past me. What did he mean by being careful? Did I have something to fear here?

Questions pestered me as I continued my journey back to my room. I couldn't find the answers. What did Nicholi mean? The way he said it. It sounded like one of the sayings that mean more than what you think. Or was I thinking about it too much? No matter what the meaning might be, I had to go along with it. What choice did I have? The answer would come soon. Or at least I hoped.

But deep down inside, I had a strange feeling. It was similar to what I had when I arrived here. Something told me that this whole situation was bigger than me. Bigger than I have ever encountered before.


	6. Chapter 7: The Night Chaperon

Chapter 7: The Night Chaperon

My eyes flew open. I felt something brushed against my arm. I frightfully turned my head to see what was there. To my horror, I saw a black figure at the bedside. My mouth opened to yell to the others-

SMACK! A hand clamped over my mouth before I could even make a sound. I started squirming frantically. No! I'm too young to die!

"Shhh! It's me!" the intruder said. I stopped. The hand was released.

"Robert?" I said out loud.

"Shhh!" he said another time and glanced around to check if Grace or the others woke up. "Yes! Now come with me!" he moved away from the bed but turned around again. "And stay quiet!"

I looked past him and out the window; it was pitch dark. "What time is it?" I asked causally.

He glanced at his wrist. "A little past eleven." Robert was wearing a wristwatch. It took me a second to realize that the device was before this time period, or at least I thought it was.

I drowsily got out of bed; I was too tired to ask him where he got a device that was way before his time. Normally, I would just ignore such a request that required me to leave the comforts of my bed in the middle of the night in order to go with a suspicious character to who knows where, but then again I wasn't at home anymore. Plus the fact that this mysterious character saved my life and if I remembered correctly, Robert wasn't supposed to be back from his trip, yet. So, what was he doing here? All this told me that whatever it is, it must be important.

"Here, put these on." A bunch of cold clothes thrown at me officially shook me from my sleepiness. Robert closed the door behind him as he walked out of the room. He left a crack in the doorway with a lit lantern, giving me just enough light to get dressed.

I went through them. A loose cream shirt, brown pants that looked a lot like skinny jeans, and a pair of boots. To top everything off, a jet black cape with a hood. It resembled the ones that the people in _Lord of the Rings_ wear. A disguise? For what? And where exactly we're we going?

I put on the disguise even though was a total drag. I had to stay in one place so I wouldn't wake Mary, Grace, or Sarah. Even worse, I had to go slow so I wouldn't tear anything and end up walking around with a hole in my clothes. Ten minutes later, I finally found my hand gripping the door handle.

"Wait!" I quick walked to my dresser drawer that stood between my bed and Grace's. The second drawer made a loud squeak as I pulled it open. I held my breath, staying completely quiet. Grace was sleeping right next to me. "Huh?"

I dove into my own bed and pretended to be asleep. She got up from her bed. I heard footsteps walk around the bedroom and to the door. The lantern loudly scraped the floor when she picked it up.

"What is this doing here?" Grace walked to every bed and checked under them. She also went to the closet and looked in there! Finally, she came to my bed. I held my breath.

"Callie." She whispered tiredly as she shook me. Crap! Now what?

I turned to my side, away from her. "Callie!"

I had to answer her. "What?" I grumbled.

"I think someone came in here."

"Must be your imagination. Go back to bed."

"But-"

"Goodnight."

"But-"

"I said goodnight!" I snapped. I didn't mean to but I guess it was because I wanted her to go back to sleep so badly.

There was silence. "Goodnight." She whispered. I heard her sigh and begin to walk back to her bed. She stopped.

"Callie?"

I mentally groaned. So close! "What Grace? What do you possibly want, now?"

"Pardon me for asking, but why is your nightgown on the floor?"

I shot up from the blankets in fear. "What are you talking about?" I yelped and immediately regretted moving. Never in my life did I hate God so much. He had to go ahead and create gravity! Because of wretched gravity, the blankets fell down, thus revealing my disguise. I winced.

Grace just stood there in silence, confused. "Why?..." she started. I saw a shadow shift behind her.

"Grace!" I yelled but I was too late. Robert came in silent as the night and karate-chopped Grace at the neck. Her eyes widened for a moment before she fell like a rock. Robert caught her and held her with one hand while the other lit a lantern that sat on the dresser.

I mutely watched as he placed Grace in her bed. He reached into a pouch on his waist and revealed an alcoholic wipe and an injection needle. He then began wiping Grace's arm after finding a vein. Now I spoke. This was getting creepy.

"Okay! What are you going to inject Grace with?" I asked.

"A chemical. It will erase her memory of this incident. She won't remember a thing." He said, waving his hand in the air. He acted like this was an everyday thing!

"Can't we just tell her that she it was all a dream?" I asked nervously.

His broad shoulders shook as he chuckled. He pocketed the empty bottle. "Grace Cavendish is a curious one and is hardheaded. She won't stop asking questions." He looked at me for a moment. "Remind you of anyone?"

I frowned at him in response. Robert walked to Mary's bed and took out another bottle and wipe from his pouch.

I ran to him. "Now what are you doing?"

"Making them forget you for a while." Robert turned to me. "Just in case." he said simply.

Can this get any creepier? A guy walks into my room, wakes me up, tells me to come with him, then knocks out my friend, and now is giving my roommates stuff that will force them to forget me!

"What about Grace?"

"It was mixed in previously. There." He was finished with Sarah. "We should have about a day to get this done."

"What if we are done with whatever we're doing before a day?"

"Well, once they see you, they will remember you again."

"What about the Queen?"

"Took care of her already."

"What? "

"Now, can we leave or do you have any more questions for me?" Robert said, blowing out the lantern. He walked out the door.

"Oh, I have a lot of questions for _**you**_, my friend." I muttered behind him. Then I remember something. "Wait!" I hissed.

Robert was beginning to get annoyed. "What now?"

"I have to get something!" I rushed back in and to the open drawer. I reached my hand inside. My fingers soon found the object I was looking for: the lucky scrunchie.

I made a silent promise. "Sharon. Whatever I have to do, I would find you and give this back. No matter what it takes!"


	7. Chapter 8: Sneak Out Gone Bad

Chapter 8: Sneak Out Gone Bad

Robert and I walked the castle halls for about 10 to 13 minutes. The halls were eerily dark, making the journey terrible for walkers. I had a difficult time staying quiet because tables got in my way. However, Robert dodged and went through the castle maze without touching anything. Like the injections, it was like he did it every day. I began to have a feeling that Sir Robert was not really an ambassador. If that was so, who was he?

We finally came to a stop at a dead end. A rope was connected to the large window. "Down you go." He gestured out the window.

"You're kidding me." I hated ropes even though they can sometimes save your life. The way they burn your skin. I shuddered. Worse of all, I hate heights. Terrified of falling and having my bones cracking to pieces, I think that is logical. Ropes plus heights equals me not liking it.

Robert watched me in irritation. Shaking his head, he shoved me towards the window. "Let's go…"

Someone yelled, "Oi! Who goes there?" Oh no! A guard!

Robert roughly pushed me into the window. "Come on! It'll be alright." He looked behind us and sighed. "I will be gone for just one moment." he whispered in my ear. He disappeared down the hall as quickly as he said it.

I took a deep breath. I had to go down soon or else I'll get caught. Footsteps echoed down the corridor. Crap! They sound like running, and in my direction!

Not waiting for a minute longer, I carefully lower myself down to what might be my death. "Don't look down. Don't look down."I whimpered. It seemed to work for a few moments. I closed my eyes and felt the rope. Branches and leaves hitting me only made my grip harder on the rope. "I can do this. I can do this. I can-"

"Look out!"a voice shouted from below. I opened my eyes too late to see an object hit me and knock me backwards. It was a branch! I lost my grip on the rope and slid down. The friction made my hands burn like fire.

"Ahh!" I screamed and I let go in pain. Oh no! Time slowed to a stop as if to give me one last chance to grab for the rope. Unfortunately, life isn't also kind. I missed the rope by a long shot and fell down to the ground. For the second time in this whole situation, I knew I was a goner.

I waited but didn't feel anything. In fact… I opened my eyes. A hooded person was holding me by my back and knees like I was the lightest thing in the world.

"Like a feather." they said. It sounded like a boy not much older than me but by how high I was, he seemed like a junior.

"Um. Hi." I shyly said. What else should I say?

"Hi." he replied. I could tell from his voice that he was somehow enjoying this.

"Um…" I looked down. Talk about awkward.

"Oh! I'm sorry." He put me down. "You okay?"

I was still shaking after my near death experience. "Yeah. It's all good." I lied.

A second later, Robert shimmied down the rope. He then came towards us, pocketing something in a pouch. "Alright, I managed to distract the Queen's guards but I don't know how long they'll fall for it. Which means we should probably leave." He glimpsed back at the building. "Like now!"he added.

Suddenly, a burst of smoke came out of a nearby window, followed by a scream and a couple of yells.

"Yeah, let's go." I said. The two men nodded and started running. We rushed into the cover of the nearby woods.

We stopped running about two minutes after we came into the forest. We paused at a tree. "Antoine and Matthew are waiting by the gates with the carriage." the kid said, leaning on the bark.

"Who are Antoine and Matthew?" I panted.

"They're two buddies of ours." Robert replied.

"Oh."

"Isn't there another way to the carriage?" Robert asked the boy.

He shook his head. "No. Guards are posted all around the gates and the surrounding area. The only place where there are no guards are at the main gates, but that's only for tonight. Tomorrow, the rest come back from their rather recent… day off." The teenager chuckled to himself.

"How did you two get here?" I asked them.

"We went over the gates." Robert said. "But, the gates are too high and we almost got caught. If we had gone through the main entrance, the guards would know that something was up. There aren't usually visitors in the dead of night."

Robert then realized that he didn't introduce us. "By the way, Catherine, this is Ben. Ben this is Catherine."

"Didn't I tell you to call me Callie?" I exclaimed at Robert. I got a "Be quiet!" sign in return.

"Do you want us to get caught or something?" Ben whispered.

I was going to say something in response when something about his voice made me stop. "Is that an American accent?" I asked him.

"Why, yes it is." he said proudly. By the way he spoke those words; I could tell that he was grinning brightly, trying not to laugh. How did I not notice before?

I looked at him in confusion. "But, we're in England."

"Long story. I'll tell you some other time. Right now thought, we have to get to the gates before the Queen's guards in the palace warn the men already there." We started running even faster than before.

"Robert?" I huffed behind both of them. "Wouldn't be easier you just came to see me in the morning? Why do we have to go through all this trouble of sneaking around in the Queen's grounds and knocking people out?"

"Well, the first reason is because the Queen doesn't know that I'm back yet. I actually don't go on her ambassador trips. I have other important stuff to do."

Other important stuff? What could be more important than being an ambassador for the Queen? Ben saw my confused look when he glanced back. "Poor, newbie. All this confusion must be killing her mind. No wonder she has so many questions!"

Robert gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll really explain later. Continuing, I have other people to do the trips and reports for me when I can't do them. I'm technically not supposed to be back until next month. If I just waltzed into the Queen's court weeks before I was to return, she and her subjects would suspect something was fishy. And the last thing I need is to have the Queen send her investigators on me. They already suspect me too much. Especially, Sir Nicholi." Both the men fell silent at the name.

I stared at both of them. Their fear of such a man amazed me. "Why is everyone scared of Nicholi? Sure, the guy is pretty creepy and acts weird, but how can you be so frightened of him? Why would it even matter if he is a little suspicious of you?"

Robert's annoyed expression began to reappear on his face. "Because, you already made a big statement when you first arrived here! Worse of all, I had to make up something on the spot to help you, further adding onto Nicholi's questions. Not only to me but to you! And trust me; you do not want that to happen." Robert was now furious at me.

"What did Callie do?" Ben asked.

"Well, let's just say that not everyone in the palace thinks of her as a sane person."

"Elaborate please."

"She almost got herself sent to the gallows."

Ben was clearly shocked. "How?"

I rolled my eyes, knowing what was coming next.

"First, she yelled at the Queen. Then she ran around screaming "Where's your director? " and told the Queen of England to take a chill pill"

Ben started laughing silently. He shook his head at me in dismay. "Seriously? Wow, Callie you really love gathering attention to yourself." He placed a gloved hand on Robert's back. "Robert, you got a big one here!" At this moment, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb cried their eyes out as they cracked up. I did not see how they found it so funny. Maybe it was some inside joke I didn't know about. Either way, I stormed ahead of them, not feeling like joining the group.

The woods were enormous and gloomy, which made it a challenge to be silent in. In addition, the fact that it was now little past midnight did nothing to help either. Unseen twigs snapped, making the sound bounce off the of the dark trees. I thought we were surly going to get caught sometime. These two idiots laughing their faces off made me want to scream in frustration but I was glad to have company, despite their idiocy. These woods popped out of a horror movie where you are escaping from a crazy psychopath with a butcher knife and the trees were trying their very best to get you killed. The only variation was that there was freezing snow everywhere. I looked back at my companions. I hoped they knew what they were doing.

A few minutes later, they finally stopped making jokes. A clearing could be seen through the trees. To our left, a huge road, probably for the Queen's carriages, split the woods in half. I could see the gates in front of us but a ways off. Two men were standing there with lanterns next to them. Next to them, a small hut stood. Their sleeping quarters?

Robert and Ben walked past me and on to the road. "Hey!" I shouted, but they just ignored me and kept on walking. They then sprinted through the road and back into the cover of the bush. I gawked at them. Did they seriously just do that without warning me?

Ben looked at the guards for a couple of moments and signaled me to come across. I took a deep breath. Closing my eyes, I ran through across the path. I waited for an "Oi! You there!" or "What in heaven's name what that?" but I heard nothing. I was safe so far. I didn't stop until I hear crackling of leaves again. I reopened my eyes.

For an odd reason, the forest on this side is darker than the other. I had to wait a few moments to let my eyes adjust to night vision. Ben and Robert were kneeling on the ground, whispering to each other. "So what's the plan?" Robert asked.

"Hold on, it's too dark. I can't see." Ben reached back and pulled down his hood. I gasped. Ben was incredibly cute. He had a squarish face, like Robert but more boyish. His blond hair was as long but spiky. He reminded me as a cool anime character.

Ben pouted at the two guards. "I don't know. The Gentlemen of the Guard are too far off to secretly take them out. But, I guess I have to manage something right?"

"Are you sure you don't need help? I mean these guns can do major damage." Robert lifted his arms up to show off his biceps. They grew to the size of large rocks. He kissed them passionately. I gagged.

"Yeah, no." Ben gently pushed his friend's arm down. "I think I can handle this one on my own. Anyways, if I did allow you to come along, you would just kill them. Then, Dimo would kill **us**. Plus, weren't you the one who wanted to stay hidden?" Robert grumbled in response.

"Oi, Lucus! Did you hear that?" said a guard.

"Where over in the trees?" said the other.

"Yes. Go, and check it out."

We all went motionless.

The guards began to bicker. "What? You go!"

"No you! Don't be a lassie."

"Oh, I'm being the lassie?"

"Yes. Go, and that is an order!"

The other sentry sighed. "Fine." Slow and cautious footsteps started to make their way closer towards our direction. The first man called out to the hut and three more guys joined the search.

Ben was looking up at the starry sky when I saw him. He then dropped his head and chuckled. "Perfect timing." he said. Grinning, he reached behind and produced a menacing looking dagger in front of his face. The blade tilted sideways. A faint reflection of fire and a man played on one of the edges. Another firelight from the guards' torches were overcoming the shadows around us. This light lit half of Ben's face, glowing his round green eyes red. I shivered in fear. I could hardly believe that the kid that seemed so cool just moments ago could now look like a psychotic killer; grinning at the face of death with the hunger of blood in his eyes.

Robert peeked over a bush towards a guard. "Be careful Ben." He grew as serious as Ben. "Those are the Queen's guards."

"What?" Ben went over to Robert to see where he was looking at. I followed him and peeked over the bushes too. Robert was right. I recognized the colors of the uniform from the Queen's courts.

I turned to Robert. "Yeah. Those are the Queen's special guards, alright. But what are they doing here? Shouldn't they be inside to protect the Queen?"

"Damn it, Nicholi!" Robert cursed.

Ben went from scary, to surprised, to now nervous. "Maybe it's a check up or a lack of staff. We did poison almost all of the bread." he told Robert uneasily.

"Poisoned?" I gasped. "You guys freakin' **poisoned** the Gentlemen of the Guard?"

"Don't worry, Callie. They're alive." Ben said.

"I hope." I muttered. "You still haven't given me an answer. Why are you two so concerned about Sir Nicholi?" I remembered what he told me earlier. Nothing is what is seems. To take caution. "**Should** we be worried?" I whispered.

Ben and Robert didn't answer. They just looked at the men who were searching the woods for us. I was scared for the answer. Why aren't they saying anything? Who exactly is Nicholi to cause this much tension?

Finally, Ben started laughing. "You sure love to ask questions, don't you?" I was thrown off expecting a better sentence.

"What? That is ALL you can say? Shut up and answer the question!" I brought up my foot to kick him but there was a loud sound very close to us.

Ben went back to killer-mode. "They're here."

He got up and dashed towards them. A few feet off the edge of the clearing, he turned hard right.

Robert immediately grabbed my arm. "Come on." He guided me to a spot further into the cover of the trees, however keeping the gates and Ben in our sights. The two of us hid behind one. Every handful of seconds, I peeked from the trunk.

I was amazed by what I saw! Ben was totally kicking the guard's butts! He was going Jackie Chan; throwing punches and complex kicks, using the guard's bodies to execute them. The scary part was that he was going so fast, the poor men didn't know what hit them. As they fell to the ground, their lanterns went with them. Each fallen lantern revealed a part clearing and soon, Ben could be seen standing alone in the clearing with bodies all around him.

I thought all the men were taken down until a movement to my right caught my eye. There was one man though who had saw Ben coming. He had taken cover behind the trees like us. There was a sword shaking in his hands. He had most likely gotten scared when he watched his buddies fall to the floor like heaps of clothing. Out of all of the lessons I've learned in my short past there had to be one that best fit the man's next actions: after fear, always comes anger. It was no different here. His eyes were big but grew smaller in fury. Ben began to walk to the tree Robert and I was hiding behind. The man waited till Ben was a couple of steps away and raised his sword.

"Ben!" I ran out and jumped out of my hiding spot, pointing to the furious man. "Look out!"

"**What** are you doing?" Robert yelled as he pulled me back into the safety of the shadows.

Ben thankfully heard me. He saw who I was indicating. Ben's and the man's eyes met. They weren't too far from each other. Like a flash, Ben sprinted to the man, ready to stop him. As fast as Ben, he brought up his sword and screamed on top of his lungs.

"Oh, no." Robert's face went pale, hearing this. Not even waiting, he came out of the hiding spot, dragging me behind him by the arm.

Ben dropped the snitch to the ground to join his buddies. "We have to go now." Robert said quickly.

"Why what's wrong?" I asked. The reply came from far off in the distance. Sounds of yells and dogs arose from the darkness. The guards from all around the fence and the castle were now making their way to the front gates, trapping us. The only option was going through the main entrance gates itself.

I now understood why the man cried out instead of defending himself. He knew he didn't have a chance against Ben. The only solution was to shriek loudly, in hope that someone would hear him and come rushing in to stop us from getting away.

We hurried the gates. The black bars were freezing to touch. I tried to open them. They wouldn't budge. "Locked." My eyes found a keyhole. "It needs a key." I told them. That seemed obvious.

"Ben, where are the keys?" Ben ran to the hut. I followed after him. He burst through the door with a bang. One man who was sleeping a cot woke up with a start. Ben knocked him out with one punch, then immediately went to the closet.

"Callie! Check the desk over there!" he shouted.

I strode to the desk that sat against the wall. Papers, drawers, cups, pots, nothing. "It's not here!" I told him.

Robert appeared in the doorway. "Um, I don't know about you guys but I don't feel like dying today. So hurry up!"

"Patience is a virtue, Robert!" Ben calmly replied, still searching the middle table.

"Well, I don't care about virtues at the moment! All I care about is getting out of here, and like now!"

"Did you check the guards outside? They could be holding-"I began.

"I already did." Robert cut off.

"Damn it!" Ben kicked the wall. "Where are they?"

The Royal guards could be heard loud and clear from where we were standing. They were getting closer to us by the second. Tensions rose sky high.

"Okay. I'll hold them off." Ben said after thinking. "Robert, you get Callie to the headquarters. See if you can climb the fence." He started off.

"Wait, what about you?" I asked him. He stopped in the doorway.

"I'll be fine." he whispered and ran off.

Even I knew that he wouldn't last long with that many guards. By the noise they were making, there had to be at least had to be at least twenty. The Queen's guards weren't her bodyguards for nothing. They were highly skilled. Ben would not get enough time to climb the fence himself if he defeats them.

I scanned the room. There had to something I could to help Ben. I felt like I owed it to him. Help him live, even for a few extra minutes. After all, he did save me from dying because of a branch.

"Where would I hide something?" I whispered to myself. If I had to keep something hidden, where I set it? In a place no one would bother to look, plain sight. My eyes found the bed at the end of room. The man that Ben punched squared in the face was now lying before it. I made my way towards it. There was a something off about the bunk.

Robert had been coming up with a strategy till then. "Okay, Callie we need to leave now and…" He saw me head to the bed. "Callie! What the heck!" Robert attempted to grab me but I shrugged him off.

I got on my knees and I stuck my hand under the heavy mattress. The answer seemed so apparent; I couldn't believe Ben and I didn't think about it before.

"Lift it up." I told Robert. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should just toss me over his shoulder and run. He finally decided against it and hauled up the mattress.

I ran my hand across the smooth wood. Nothing. Was I just wasting the precious time we had left to evade the oncoming guards? Maybe the bed appeared wrong because Ben punched him when he just stood up.

"Hold on. Wait a minute…" My hand was at the far edge of the bed stand. My fingers were gripping a cold object with a lot of pointy edges. I pulled my hand out. In my hand was a set of keys attached to a key ring. Sometimes things are in the simplest of places.

"Nice!" Robert said. He snatched them out of my hand. The hood of my cloak was tossed over my head. "Now let's go get those gates open!"

We were only 10 feet from the keyhole. I could barely see the hole already. The sense of freedom and relief coursed through me. I could literally see myself opening the gates and getting out of this hell hole. If we are lucky enough, we might have time to save Ben!

"Only a few steps away…" I reassured myself between strides. My legs were already worn out from running through the forest before. "Come on, Callie! Only-"

A shout made distance from freedom seem longer.

"Stop in the name of her majesty!" a man yelled.

We spun around to see a small army standing there; probably fifteen guys. All were armed with swords , other medieval weapons and muscles that made them look extremely strong. A small majority of them were skinny but I had a feeling that there was more to them than meets the eye.

I saw Ben out of the corner of my eye. He was to our right, not so far away. However, he had many men on his hands. He would too busy to help us, let alone be able to defeat his batch. I realized there was no escaping now. Robert, Ben, and I were officially trapped. That snitch got what he wanted after all…

"How 'bout no?" Robert spoke in a different tone to keep the new opponents from recognizing him by his voice. His hood was up too. "Here!" He tossed me the keys. "Open the gates!" He charged at the men, drawing his sword at the same time.

I continued sprinting to the gates. After making it, I frantically shuffled through the clump of rusted keys. A song of swords and cries of pain filled the air behind me. So, Operation: Sneak Out was going well so far. We managed to get to the gates but still have a whole flippin' army to go through! How was I going to get to Sharon if I was dead? I jammed a key into the hole. It was too small.

"Come on. Come on. Come. On!" I quickly shoved each key into the hole. None of them worked. "What the heck?" I kicked the bars. Now what?

"None of them are working!" I yelled at Ben and Robert.

They were both too busy fighting to hear my shouts. Robert was facing against one man who looked like a highly talented swordsman. The two were going all over the place. Between trees, on the ground; you named it, they were there. Three other men tried to join in on the brawl by adding in jounces and strikes. Yet, no matter what they threw at him, Robert held his ground. I marveled at the sight of him. He must really be a skilled swordsman like people have told me.

Ben was no different from Robert although he was more agile. He was only equipped with a dagger which strangely held back all the swords. He jumped, dodged, and attacked with blinding speed. He was going faster and cautiously than with the first group of guards. I have on seen action like this on T.V. but never figured how it was actually possible. Ben was like Robert, there was more to both to them than I was lead to believe.

A horrible thought abruptly came to me. How long was it going to be before Robert and Ben wore down? Would they be able to fight the palace guards if they came to the reinforcements' rescue?

I kicked the gate again. This was not good. None of the freakin' keys are working and I don't know how long Ben and Robert could hold up for. I rested my head on the cold bars, trying to think behind the noise. There had to be a way out of here, but what..?

I just started off listing all the possibilities before a distant scream shook me from my trance. "Cal! Look out!" It was Ben.

"Huh?" I glanced back at the battle scene just in time to see a flash of shiny metal come sideways at my neckline and a man was grinning brightly.

"Holy..!" Not even thinking, I ducked under the path of the sword. I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to send a wild kick to his chest, crashing him into the bars. His weapon fell to the ground with a thud. I snatched it up before he could even stand.

Wait a minute…. An important question popped up. (They always seemed to be doing that lately.) Do I even know how to fight with a sword? The answer was terrible but simple. No, I didn't know how to use one, let alone holding it! I groaned. Another thing gone wrong. This was certainly not my lucky day!

"So, this is how it is going to be." The man slowly said and to my horror, unsheathed another sword. Although, this one looked bigger and lighter than the one I was holding. He had a freakin' extra sword all this time? That could only mean he is powerful enough to both carry two swords and fight at the same time. Can this get any worse?

Ready with his new weapon, he walked to me. "Let us fight like **real** men." He raised his blade, pointing it at my forehead. Was he challenging me because he thought I was a guy? By the fire in his eyes, the wicked smirk on his mouth, the way he spoke, I would expect so. Holy crap! Now what? Should I run for it? Do I say yes? What do I do?


	8. Chapter 9: Robert in Action

Chapter 9: Robert in Action

"Take that!" Robert proclaimed as he stabbed his current rival in the chest. He knelt in pain and Robert kicked him over. He didn't need to check if he was done with that one.

Robert paused and took a deep breath. He finished the first clump of idiots but he knew that the real battle had just begun. There were only four men left but he was certain that more were on the way.

Robert's heart sank when he recognized the last four men. There were the top swordsmen of the Gentlemen of The Guard. They were probably waiting at the back, staying out of sight and watching his moves carefully. Robert swore under his breath. Why hadn't he seen them before?

Oh well. There was nothing he could do now. Luckily for him, he was also good with the sword. In addition, he knew each one of them by name and what skills they possessed. He had a knack for observing people. It was mainly why he was recruited into the Queen's court as an ambassador so promptly after he joined the Gentlemen of the Guard.

The last men approached Robert with extreme vigilance. He knew he had to make a plan and fast. He could tell that they weren't going to take any chances. Not with an unknown enemy. The sooner he could get this done, the sooner he could get to Callie.

Robert swore again. Callie! He had forgotten about her! Some protector he was. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked for Callie. He managed to find Ben. He was still fighting using his insane martial art moves. But where was…?

There. Callie was at the gate, right where he left her but she was holding something in her hands. Robert had to squint to get a better view. Was that a sword? Why in heaven's name is she holding a sword? The answer was only no less than two feet away. A big man stood in front of her, his sword up to her head. He was saying something to her. It appeared he was challenging her to a match.

"Oh no." The firelight revealed half of the man's face. Robert immediately recognized him as top commander, Sir Carring Wellington. He was one of those conservatives that loved to duel to the grave, considered it the "honorable" thing to do.

Robert turned back to his opponents. He really had to end this fast. From what he knew about Wellington, when he was in a duel, he didn't stop till one of them was dead, which will be Callie in a matter of seconds.

FFFTTTT! The sound jolted Robert from his thoughts. He instantly blocked the attack. The blades clashed together loudly. The others were advancing. They simultaneously brought up their swords. Robert blindly brought the hilt up and stabbed while he knocked the other guy's weapon aside. Blood slowly ran down the opponent's clothing. Robert ejected the sword and they fell face forward in the snow. The others formed a circle around him. A series of moves came to him. Maybe he could finish them off swiftly.

Block, duck, dodge, slash, block, stab, lunge; Robert played his moves like a waltz. Smoothly and with every move, he pushed the circle closer and closer into the woods. Finally, they were thick into the woods and the attackers finally realized they were in a trap. It was pitch dark in the forest and no one could see anything. The guards ducked and looked, hunting for Robert. However, he disappeared in thin air.

SHING! It was too late to react to the all too familiar noise. Robert appeared from behind a tree and took down all of them in the dark. The last thing they saw was the darkness and that is where death itself would eventually take them to.

THUD. The last man collapsed to the ground in a heap. He was at the edge of the woods, now. Firelight lit his face as his life faded away. Robert stood above him, heaving heavily. Thick red streams flowed around a huge piece of metal embedded in the guy's stomach. He face was peaceful, knowing this was it.

Robert closed his eyes and turned away. He may be the best swordsmen and tactics correspondent to the Queen of England, but he wasn't strong enough to see anyone die, no matter who they are.

A scream brought him back to his senses. It was Callie! He had forgotten about her again! What was wrong with him? Robert saw Callie again and she was not holding up well. He had to hurry!

"Sorry about this." He told the dying man as he took his bloody sword out of the his body. He ran back into the woods, having another idea. He just hoped that he could make it to Callie in time…


	9. Chapter 10: Pain and Psychopaths

Chapter 10: Pain and the Queen's Psychopath

FFFTTTT! The mystery man swung his sword rapidly upon my hands. "Holy shi..." I moved to the left but he curved the swing left too. My only hope was knocked out of my hands. Sharp pain ran up my arms. A deep cut ran along the top part of my hands. I could feel blood seeping through the gashed skin and down it. I watched in horror as the droplets hit the floor.

I couldn't stop staring at my bleeding hands. The sudden reality of the whole situation hit me like a metro train. I wasn't dreaming. Living in a secure and safe home has made me think that murder only happened on TV. If I wouldn't have moved my hand last minute, I would have no hand anymore! This dude was really trying to kill me and he probably might wi-

"Aaaa!" Another jolt of pain clashed its way up my right arm. I brought a hand up to clutch the wound but before it got halfway, a foot kicked my stomach. I doubled over. The air was sucked from me. I struggled to breathe, even one tiny gasp, but nothing would come.

A shadow was now rushing towards my face. My eyes widen, knowing what was going to happen next. In a split second, I made a hard attempt to move out of the way of the knee. Nothing budged. What was happening?

BAM! An atomic explosion of pain occurred on my face. I silently screamed on the top of my lungs. The momentum of the knee flung me backward and I crashed to the grassy floor. Holy shit! I still couldn't breathe! The pain was excruciating. My eyes became waterfalls. What did I do to deserve this? Where the hell was Robert and Ben?

"Ha! Ha!" The blurred man began to laugh. "How pathetic! You not only scream like a lassie but are finished so early! You are such a weakling!" He paused, as if waiting for a response of some kind. He stabbed my thigh hard and laughed heartily. I screamed again. I never experience so much pain in my life.

"This should teach you bastards from attempting to attack her majesty and the Gentlemen of the Guard!" Some gentlemen he was. To further make me suffer, he slowly pulled out the instrument of pain. "Since I am such a gentleman, I presume I will finish you first to save you the pain. Then, I will go finish your other friends." There was a pause. The man was fading from my sight. I was going to faint soon. "But first…" he said.

"Now what?" I gritted through my teeth.

I was answered when I felt my hood being pinned above my head. I groaned. Oh no. Not good. The gasp added onto it. I forced myself to see the man's reaction. As I guessed, he was truly shocked.

"Lady Catherine?" he gasped. " But why…" I saw the wheels turning with stupid accusations. I could only guess what was coming. "I knew it! Sir Nicholi was right. You **were** too strange! It all makes sense! I can not believe it! You are working for the Spanish scum!"

"Now hold on a minute…" I croaked but he stepped on my stomach.

"Shut up!" he growled. "You have no right to speak! You betrayed her highness and now…" The crazed man unpinned my hood and raised he sword above my chest. "You will pay with your life."

Tears filled my eyes. No! This couldn't be the end! I tried to move but the guy still didn't remove his foot from my body. I was going nowhere. For the third time so far, I accepted the truth of death. This is where I would die, alone in London, England. A long way from home. My tombstone would say "Here lies Catherine (whatever Robert's last name is) the traitor." If my body was ever found! I closed my eyes. Who could watch themselves get stabbed to death? I whispered the corniest line ever; "Good bye world." I silently waited for the stinging pain that would ultimately end me.

FFFWWWWTTT. The familiar sound rushed towards me but stopped short. I heard a struggle and someone at my side. The pressure on my foot was slightly lifted.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." Robert! He had his sword to the man's neck and pinned the man's arm to his back. "Oh. That's right, you can't move." He taunted.

Ben appeared next to me. "Callie!" he had a concerned expression on his face. Robert dragged the man off me. Ben searched for wounds with his fingers. He eventually found my arm and tore a piece of his sleeve. Ben tied it around the stab wound.

"How is she?" Robert asked through his teeth. The man was struggling hard to get out of Robert's grasp.

"Not good. Not good at all. She needed a medic. She lost too much blood already." He suddenly had a pocket light in his right hand. He shone it in my eyes. "She's fading."

"You won't make it out of here alive, traitors! I should have known. Nothing was right about you Sir Robert." The man managed to pull Robert's hood down before.

"The Queen will find out." He went on. "You won't get away! The-"Robert decided to shut him up by smashing the man's face into a nearby tree.

"You don't know what you are talking about Sir Carring." Robert said to him. "I have to admit, though. I have been waiting for this opportunity to kick the barnacles out of you for LOOOOONNNNG time. Plus, since you already know my name…" A scary grin played across Robert's face. "now I _**have**_to kill you."

"Wait!" Ben stopped him. "What was he going to say?"

Robert tugged Carring away from the trunk that his face was planted into. It was bruised and bloody. His nose was also pointing in the wrong direction.

Carring took a few seconds to breathe. "The Guard is on their way! You won't be able to escape." At that précised moment, another wave of noise came from the castle. Shouts could be heard from about a mile away. The new round of guards was gaining ground.

Robert slammed Carring against the tree again. "How! No one escaped! You better tell me how Carring or I'll…" Robert twisted Carring's arm up his back. Carring cursed him in pain.

"Robert! Calm down! Let him speak." said Ben.

"I sent a messenger to the palace when you first attacked us." Carring grunted. "They thankfully got warned the guards in time…"

Robert pulled Carring away from the tree again. "Not thankfully for **you**, my friend." Robert said in a really low voice. He looked at Ben.

"Ben! Go and make a diversion. I'll take care of Carring."

Ben didn't argue with Robert on a better idea. He scooped me up and set me against the bars. I was beginning to get dizzy. Ben tied a second piece of his sleeve around my leg wound. "Hang on Callie." He whispered, brushing the hair out of my eyes and ran into the woods.

I didn't remember what happened next. All I do recall is that I just stayed where I was. Not moving an inch but slowing regaining my strength back.

Carring and Robert were still fighting to my left. The fight was getting heated now. Carring had somehow got released and found a sword. The two were battling it out. I made a mental note about not going anywhere near those two.

A shiny object in front of me caught my eye. I reached forward to grab it. It was the keys from the gate. Maybe, I should try again… I painfully stood to my feet and went back to the keyhole. Meanwhile, I kept my eyes on the keys. The ring seems different…

"Hya!" I was rammed into the bars of the fence. My face felt the worst since I was kneed in the same place a while ago. What I felt was unbearable. I was on the brink of passing out. Black clouds formed around my eyes. Another piercing pain shot up my back.

"Trying to get out? Who do you think you are, barging in our country like that and **expect** to get away with it? You will not get away if I can help it!"

Oh my god! This man was misinformed. "I had no choice." I screamed at him. "It's not like I chose to be here. I don't even know what I am doing here!"

"Oh, really?" he growled in my ear. "Do you really expect me to believe tha-?" Carring let out a cry and let go of me. I gradually slid to the ground.

"Callie!" Robert was struggling to hold on to Carring. "Get out of here!"

I was in the worst situation ever. I couldn't move. Blood was all over me. A metallic taste was in my mouth. There was so much that I started to gag. I spit some out. Time was moving slowly past. I could barely hear what was going on around me with the last of my blood roaring in my ears.

"Callie!" Ben suddenly was next to me.

"Ben! Get her out of here!" Robert was far away.

"Come on, Callie." Ben gently urged. He could tell I was in no ability to do anything. However, we needed to leave. I let him lift me to my feet, pulling arm around his neck. Out of the bottom of my eye, I saw something fall from my lap. The keys were back on the ground. I picked them up for the second time. Keys started to fall down. I noticed what was different about them. The ring was broken in half.

Ben saw the keys too. "Oh great…"

"Haaaaa…" The yell made Ben turned just in time to see Carring try to take a swing at him. Ben caught his fist halfway and punched him in the throat.

Meanwhile, I looked at the empty ring in my hand. Now what? I didn't feel like picking up the keys from the wet grass. I probably won't get all of them. My vision was impaired since I was going to pass out soon. Plus, they didn't fit anyway.

I gazed at the blurred keyhole. Wait a minute. Maybe I was thinking about this too much.

I took one end of the busted up ring and inserted it into the hole. It fit perfectly as if it was custom made for the gates. I turned it to the right and pushed with all the strength I had left. They gates swung open.

I was so happy that I could cry. Finally! We can get out of here. The world was spinning and fading at the same time. I was going…. I should probably get to the carriage and tell Antonie and …

I took a step forward but didn't feel the other. The only thing I felt was the snowy grass against my cheek. It had to be the one thing that went right so far.


	10. Chapter 11: The Flaw of Curiosity

Chapter 11: The Flaw of Curiosity

"Callie! Come on!" Ben yelled again to his subject as he watched Carring fly backwards. Blood from his mouth went everywhere. Ben realized he didn't get an answer. "Callie!"

Ben turned around to look for Callie. He noticed the gate was currently opened. "What?" he whispered, dumbfounded. "She opened them? But the keys didn't work…"

"You little twerp! I am going to kill you and rip your throat out!"

"What the hel…"

Carring grabbed Ben from behind and brought him down before he could come all the way around. They both fell down to the ground harshly. The two men rolled as hair and blood became one with the snow. The tumbling finally stopped with Carring on top with Ben's arms crushed under his weight.

"You." Punch.

"Son." Punch.

"Of." Punch.

"A" Punch.

"Bitch!" Carring paused in midst of a final punch. Ben's face was covered in blood and bruises. Carring was barely in his vision. Seeing Ben unable to defend himself gave Carring the chance he was waiting for the whole night.

"Ohh…" Ben moaned in pain. His right eye was swollen. Ben blinked to erase the blurrieness.

"Now…" Carring reached into his boot and pulled out a dagger. A weapon he had been saving for the perfect moment. A mad look flashed in his eyes. A flash that was both wicked and happy at the same time. Insanity played a part in this decision.

Ben saw the glinting blade with his good eye. He started to squirm as his only hope of getting this psychopath off of him. But it was no use. Carring held is position and was waiting patiently for Ben to stop. Ben did stop. He came to a conclusion that this was the end, despite all his earlier near death experiences. There was no one to save him. Even if their reinforcements did end up coming, this man would defiantly kill him before then.

Carring checked behind him to see if this opportunity was too good to be true. It wasn't . Robert laid unconscious under a tree trunk; his own sword next to his head. There was going to be no surprise attacks from him.

There was a chuckle from Carring. Luck was finally on his side. He gazed at Ben. Should he take it at a snail's pace or just make it quick for the boy's sake?

Ben closed his eye as Carring raised up the blade that would end his life. "So this is how it ends?" he thought. He had nearly been killed thousands of times, some just barely stepping into the realm of death. Everyone at HQ always told him how lucky he was that a kid his age would make it so far without dying. Now, his streak would end. Here, in England of 1569 and so far from home.

As his life played before him, Ben could almost feel the warmth of the sand beaches in LA. He could smell his mother's best chocolate-chip pancakes mixed with maple syrup. His mother was smiling at him, holding out a plate and asking how well he slept last night.

Yes, a life where nothing was wrong but the feeling that there had to be more to the world he loved. There just had to be more than that small planet Earth. Oh, how happy he was to learn that his question was right. There were whole new worlds, waiting and beckoning for him to explore them.

But, now his heart wished that he would have requested some time to say goodbye to him beloved mother. His heart tore every day that his mother would still be worrying about him. She would still be looking out her bedroom window, wondering where he was. If that one day, she would be able to see her son again, running across the beach and into the kitchen saying, "Yo, Ma! Is lunch ready yet?"

Tears ran down his eyes. Not because he was going to die but because his chance to see his mother one last time was gone. Curiosity got the best of him and it would leave him here.

"Silly boy! Why are you crying at death? Stop weeping and take it like a man!" Ben stopped and stared at Carring in amazement. The guy was going to stab him to death and telling him to take it like a man.

Carring patted his cheek. "There we go." A mad flash went through Carring's eyes once more. "Let's this be an example to you Spanish imbeciles that at defy her greatness!"

Carring plunged his dagger down towards Ben's chest. Ben closed his eye as he saw the wretched hand go down. Silence was all he heard. Not the hiss of the dagger, not Carring's barbaric yell of vengeance, not his racing heartbeat, not even his own breathing. Just silence. Blessed, peaceful silence. For once in a long time, Ben was completely at rest.


	11. Chapter 12: Charlie's Venture

Chapter 12: Through the Eyes of a Little Boy

"Master Nicholi?... Master Nicholi?" a small boy, about six years old, walked into the remains of the battlefield at the castle gates. Bodies were everywhere and blood covered the grass like a fresh sheet of snow.

"What. What happened here?" he stammered. Tears began rolling down his rosy cheeks, considering that his master could be somewhere in the disaster before him. A boy his age shouldn't be in the proximity. This child however came out of curiosity after he overheard a strange conversation between his master and someone else.

Master Nicholi finally had returned home after being gone for the whole day. The boy had been cleaning the dining table for supper while two other servants, Shian and Mary, were almost done with supper. Everyone watched in silence as his master walked through the kitchen door and went straight to his bedroom upstairs.

The boy was the last one to go back to work when he heard the reassuring sound of the master's bedroom door close. He had always feared their master while Shian, the second adult and head maid, and Mary showed none at all.

He finished his chore of wiping the table a minute later and found something interesting out the window. He dreamed of a life somewhere else less gloomy and more fun.

"Don't just stand there, Charlie!" Shian scolded him from the kitchen stove. "Go and ask Master Nicholi if he would like to eat!"

Charlie had never been to the Master's room before. It was for that reason he tip-toed up the wooden steps and to the door. He wanted badly to run away and hopeful ask Mary to do it but he knew there was no turning back now. Doing that will make Shian very agitated.

Inches away from the door, Charlie brought a quaking fist up as high as he could. He wondered how many times he should knock. Once? Twice? Or would knocking disturb Master Nicholi? Charlie quickly decided to knock twice and then wait. If Master Nicholi didn't answer, then he could leave. Quickly. Charlie smiled uneasily. Good plan.

Charlie was going to knock on the wood when voices caught his attention. He leaned closer to the door. He could make out two distinct voices on the other side which was strange because Charlie didn't remember anyone coming in with Master Nicholi or already being in the house.

Only three people worked in the residence. The first was obviously himself, who does whatever Shian tells him to do. The second was 14-year old reserved Mary who does some laundry, cleans, cooks, and sows. The third was 40 year old Shian, who was the second head of the household and does all the stuff Mary does on top of ordering people around. That was it, just the three of them. Master Nicholi could have had more servants but he only wanted a few. So if there were only four people in the house, including Master Nicholi, then who else was in the room behind the door?

Charlie felt the curiosity of a detective pumping in his veins. It drove him to do crazy things sometimes, like listening closely to the voices in Master's sleeping quarters.

"I successfully tapped into the headquarters' main speakers and computer database. There is a plan tonight." Charlie recognized the voice. It was defiantly Master Nicholi. What was a computer database and speakers? Are they special people that talk?

"What are they planning to do?" said an unknown person. Charlie found that they were evidently male. Their voice was middle-aged but had a deep, soft tone to it. Even though his voice may seem weak, it commanded attention and made Charlie's skin crawl.

"The feed was shaky since it is underground. I did learn that it will take place at the palace. It involves the new girl, Lady Catherine."

"That odd girl from a while ago?" said the mystery person.

"Yes sir." The last word brought a possible answer to Charlie's question. Master Nicholi called the person "sir." The person is higher to him in rank. Since Master Nicholi works in the Queen's court, then it means the person works there to but has a higher position to him. **But when did he come in?**

"What did you gather from her?" the man asked.

"It's clear that she is not from where she says she is from. It is also possible that she is not even from this time period."

Charlie was taken back for a moment; time period? What could that possibly mean? He shook his head. This was getting a little farfetched, even for an imaginative boy like himself.

_ChaChaCha_. Charlie could feel his teeth chatter. His body was also shaking vigorously. Charlie pulled his thick shirt tighter around him. February was always cold but not this cold. Was it just him or was the air getting colder?

"Hmmm. Interesting." said the mystery man. He didn't say anything else for a very long moment. Charlie began to wonder if the conversation was over or not. "Well, by the way you're looking at me, it would seem like you already have something in mind. If you would be so kind as to tell me what exactly you intend to do about this?"

"I hope to encounter them at the gates before they leave off with her. Then, I can see what else I can gather from them."

A long pause was as chilling as the atmosphere.

"I trust in your proposal but can I trust that you will not fail me?" he asked sternly.

"Yes."

There was the sound of shuffling inside. "Alright then. I shall leave you now." The man chuckled. "It seems you have a question to answer." The last sentence made Charlie go stiff. A question to answer?

Before Charlie could process the question any further, the door flew open. Master Nicholi was stood like an angry monster that happened to have a red face. "What?" he demanded angrily, his eyes looking straight ahead.

"Ummm…." Charlie could barely get the words out of his mouth because he was so scared. How did Master Nicholi know he was standing behind the door? Also, how did the mystery man know that he had a question for Master Nicholi? Everything confused and frightened Charlie even more just thinking about it.

When Master Nicholi saw none at his eye height, he looked down. He saw the boy he saved from the horrors of the streets standing there, ready to cry in fright. To see poor Charlie's state released something in Master Nicholi's chest and calmed him down.

He gave a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry." He squatted to Charlie's eye-level. "What is it that you want?"

The sudden change in attitude confused Charlie greater. His master was once flaming angry but now he was relaxed. Even though he spoke with a straight face, he seemed almost kind. Just when he was beginning to think things couldn't get anymore stranger!

"Are…. Are you e-e-eating supper?" Charlie stammered.

"No. Anything else?"

Charlie slowly shook his head. "No sir."

"Ok then." Master Nicholi stood to his feet and slammed the door in Charlie's face.

The conversation between his master and the mystery man ate at Charlie the rest of the day. While he lay in his small bed that night, the haunting questions would not let him sleep. Curiosity gripped his mind like a metal clamp. Not even God could open it. What did Master mean by "encounter"? Who the mystery man? Who were "they" and what were they after? Who was Catherine? Why was this girl so important? Questions like these bugged Charlie for hours.

Believe it or not, little Charlie actually had a better life a few years ago. Charlie used to live in the outskirts of town where everything was happy. His father was a high constable for London. He would always tell Charlie to question everything and investigate it. Finally, his parents was robbed and murdered which sent Charlie to the streets. Master Nicholi found him one day and said he knew his father. Charlie always knew he had the cunningness and the curiosity of his father in him but it was both a blessing and a curse.

DING! Charlie's eyes flew open. What time was it? Charlie sat up. The chime of the special clock Master Nicholi had in the home told him it was midnight. Charlie had gone to bed at half past ten o'clock, hearing Master leave. It had already been almost two hours since then? It also occurred to him that his master hasn't returned yet. The new thought invited all the other questions to come rushing back to Charlie. He knew that they won't give him rest until he found the answers. The problem was, how?

"I know." He whispered after thinking for a moment. "Why don't I go there to find out for myself?" It was a brilliant idea to him. Whitehall Palace was probably twenty minutes away, another five to get under the fence and inside. Charlie knew a secret way to get over the fence but he would have to work his way from the back of the park to the front where a gate was. That could take more than ten minutes, running. Finally, there was another five to find Master Nicholi and sort the whole thing out.

Charlie tip-toed to his slightly opened door. Ever since the tragedy of his parents, he has always kept his bedroom door barely open. There were no lights in the hallway or in any rooms around him. This meant that everyone was asleep which was good because Shian would had been mad if she caught him sneaking out on his own. Speaking of getting caught, Charlie was fairly confident that that wouldn't happen. This mission would be like cutting bread!

Making sure he didn't make any noise, Charlie got dressed. He put on his clothes, boots, coat and just before he left, his lucky cloak. His mother made it him for his last birthday with his family. Somehow, it always gave him good fortune on the streets. Charlie prayed it would help him now.

Five minutes from when he made his decision, Charlie was ready to go. He lifted a chair from his desk to the wall where the window was. His window opened from the inside- out. He grabbed his pillow to stuff it in the crack so he could get back inside again when he came back.

The time estimation Charlie made to get to the gate was longer than he expected. For an odd reason, the whole area around the castle was littered with bow-and arrows and broken carriages and shop stands. Every once in awhile, he came across and dead body. All of that made Charlie sprint through the forest, fearing was at the gate. He was in for a shock, as he came out of the woods. Nothing compared to what he saw. Complete bloodshed and chaos everywhere. The lanterns on the ground lit a war zone. Charlie felt his dinner creeping upwards.

"What happened here?" Was the only question and like before, curiosity pulled him forward. Following like a puppet, Charlie let it drag him into the unknown. He saw that the gates were wide open. This could only mean that something bad happened here. Charlie took a step towards the battlefield to investigate. Could Master Nicholi be in this mess?

Charlie began to walk towards the heaps of bodies. "Master Nicholi?... Master Nicholi?"

After a step, Charlie froze. A familiar chill was in the air. Charlie remembered the coldness from before. It was from when Master Nicholi and the mystery man were talking.

"I wouldn't go any further if I were you." said a voice to him. After a step, Charlie froze. A familiar chill was in the air. Charlie remembered the coldness from before. It was from when Master Nicholi and the mystery man were talking. What was the mystery man doing here?

Charlie spun around to find the creepy newcomer. He peered through the thick forest he came out of but the shadows were too dark to be able to make out anyone. Charlie found a lonely lantern to his left and walked over to pick it up. Holding it in front of him, he continued his search.

"Where are you?" Charlie demanded.

"I am right in front of you." said the mystery man.

"What? I don't see yo-. Oh." The light of the lantern shone on the bottom half of a face.

The rest was covered by the shadows. Charlie could make out that the man was wearing a thick medieval robe with his hood on. It reminded Charlie of the clothing monks wore but this was jet black.

"Was he standing there the whole time?" Charlie whispered.

"Yes, I was." the man answered.

"What?"

"Your question. I answered it."

"You heard that?" Charlie asked in surprise.

"Yes, I did. What is your point?"

"I whispered that!"

The man found that confusing. "So?"

Charlie decided not to push the subject any further. "Nevermind." He said. "Who are you anyway? What is your name?"

The man vanished and appeared at Charlie's side a split second later. Charlie jumped away in astonishment. He turned to Charlie. "My name doesn't not matter."

Charlie realized that the man resembled to Master Nicholi in many ways: the way he spoke, the way he loomed over Charlie, the way he didn't speak much. His master….

"You're right. I have more important things to do." Charlie looked back to the bodies and got ready to run. He had to find Master Nicholi quickly. If he was one of those bodies then he could be dying. Charlie couldn't waste any time talking to this man, whoever he was.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." the man warned before Charlie continued his search.

Charlie sighed. The man was starting to get on Charlie's nerves. "Why not?"

The man stared at him for a second. He finally nodded towards the gates. He said simply, "Take two steps and find out." Charlie looked at him suspiciously. What was the man hiding? Didn't just tell him not to go forward?

The man nodded in the same direction again. "Go on." he urged.

Once more, inquisitiveness forced Charlie to take the two steps he was told to do. "One…" he whispered, eyes closed. "Two." Charlie waited. Nothing happened. He spun around. "What-"

BAAAMM! A flash of white light hit him like a lightning bolt. Charlie hit the ground with a searing pain coursing all over his body. A minute later, he passed out.

A cold force helped him come to. Pain was replaced with a tingling sensation. Charlie opened his eyes to see the man kneeling over him. "I warned you." he said nonchalantly.

"Yeah," Charlie muttered as he sat upright. "I got that part. What happened? What was I hit with?"

"A force field."

"A force field? What is that?"

"It acts like a shield. Whoever tries to cross the barrier gets hit. Like you."

Charlie looked back the place he was trying to go. He never heard of this before in his life. What was being shielded here? By who and why?

Charlie was going to ask the man when a shout stopped him. "Hey, dude!" Another man close by in a weird white suit was staring straight at Charlie and the man. It was the first moment Charlie noticed a bunch of people wearing similar suits to be standing or kneeling by the bodies. Their suits seemed to blend in with the environment which served as the reason why Charlie only noticed them now.

"Ummm…." Charlie turned to the mystery man. "Are they talking to us?"

The man shook his head. "No, they are calling each other."

The suit man one touched his ear and said, "It's okay. I don't think they can see us."

"Yes, we can." said the mystery man. Everyone in suits turned to Charlie and the man.

"Oh, Lord Almighty." Charlie uttered. "This can't be good!"

Three field agents started sprinting towards the two outsiders. They moved at lighting speed and were already half way when Charlie's brain registered that they moved fast. He fearfully turned to the man he just met. "What do we do?" he asked quickly.

The man didn't answer Charlie's question. He just stared at the sprinting men only yards away.

Charlie asked again but grabbed the man's cloak. "Mister! What do we do?" The pulling made the man look at Charlie for a moment. He then took a step forward.

"What are you doing?" Charlie asked. The running men saw the man move and stopped in their tracks.

One of the three nudged the guy in the middle. "Sir," he urged. "shouldn't we catch them before they get away?"

"No." said the leader. "Let's see what this guy does."

The man chuckled and lifted his hand. The three men saw this and presented fighting stances. However, it wasn't necessary. The man had placed his hand on the field. He began to whisper words that appeared to be in a different language.

"What are you doing?" Charlie asked. He was answered as black clouds began to swarm over the surface of the barrier from the palm of the man's hands. Charlie awed at the size of it for it stretched far beyond the gates itself. The men also gaped at the black clouds covering and disabling their once invisible barrier.

"Say good-night boys." said the man.

The leader eyed the man. "What are you talking about-"he said before the clouds surrounded them in the blink of an eye. The leader and the men in suits collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Charlie cringed backwards in fear. "What did you do?" he stammered. "What happened to them? Was that some form of black magic?" Charlie got ready to run away. He knew better than to stay with witches and warlocks. He could be damned to hell!

The man shook his head. "No it's not." He started forward and crossed the place where the shield was before. Charlie waited to see the man to get shocked or hit. Nothing happened.

Charlie got to his feet. Why wasn't the man affected? Did the black clouds have something to do with it? The dark fog still hovered over the dome like it was early morning. "Interesting." he whispered.

"Are you coming or are you going to let your master die?" The man was almost half way. He was standing next to the sleeping men.

Charlie remembered his mission. He nodded sharply. "Yes. I'm coming."

The boy walked through the mess, searching for Master Nicholi while the man walked slightly behind him. The chaos was disturbing. Everyone was bleeding and bruised. Worst of all, Charlie recognized these men. They were the Queen's men; the Gentlemen of the Guard. These were supposed to be the toughest men of all of London yet they were all lying on the ground, hurt and unconscious. Who could do such a thing? And why? Another terrifying question came to him, were they trying to hurt her Majesty?

After twelve long minutes of looking through horrifying bodies, Charlie finally reached the end. The search had brought him to open gates. "Shouldn't those be closed?" Charlie asked the man. The man didn't seem to be paying attention. Charlie debated on whether he should check outside the gate, just in case. "What could it hurt? Master Nicholi could be out there." he said. He turned to see if the man was watching him. The man was staring at the ground in front of him. As far as Charlie could tell, the man wasn't paying attention to him. Besides, he'll only be gone for a second.

Charlie sighed and started to head out the gates. Halfway through his second step, something caught his ankle. He went face first into a mix of mush and blood.

"What in the world…?" He twisted his body so he could find what was still holding onto his ankle. To his utter horror, a middle aged man was gripping Charlie's ankle. His face was full of pain and blood covered his brown beard. The blood came from a small hole at his forehead. For a strange reason, instead of being red, it was glowing green. Charlie frantically tried to scramble free but it seemed the harder he pulled, the tighter the man's grasp became.

"Hey, mister!" Charlie called to the mystery man that saved him before. "Help!" The man stared down at Charlie. He showed no sign of helping.

"Please!" Charlie got more scared. "Please help me!"

The man continued to gaze down at Charlie for the next moment. He was shocked to find himself being affected by this child's silent plea. Nothing like this usually happens. He was known for his cold, apathetic attitude. What was this he was feeling? It was familiar. The man spent an extra second pondering it. He hasn't felt this feeling in years. Was it sympathy? Admiration?

The man looked down at the boy with a new understanding. He had always wondered why his right hand man, Nicholi, would save an old comrade's kid. Now, he understood. This boy was special, in his own way. He has a hard determination fueled by a burning fire a mile high. The man chuckled. The boy was just like his father.

The man shook himself away from his thoughts. Nicholi wasn't a person to fall for his emotions and neither was he. The boy would be strong one day, if he became like his father. For now, it would be wise to keep the boy on their side of the team. He was an asset. Nothing more.

Charlie watched in anticipation as he saw the man's hand lift. What was he going to do with that cursed magic of his? Would the man save him, or decide to get rid of him?

The black clouds began to ooze out of the man's palm. Charlie could see a glowing shape start to form on the man's skin. As it continued to take shape, he realized it was a fiery red hourglass inscribed in a circle. He continued to wonder what was going to happen next.

A familiar voice made the mystery man stop. "Wait!" someone had said. The sound had come from behind Charlie. He turned to surprise that the freaky man was replaced by Master Nicholi. The hole on his forehead was glowing green, still.

Charlie sat up. "Master Nicholi?" His master finally let go of his ankle and sat upright too. He held his head in his hand like he had a headache. But where was the freaky man? Were they one and the same?

"Master Nicholi?" Charlie tried to scoot closer to him. "Are you alright, sir?"

"Does he look alright to you?" The man asked cynically.

The sound of the man's voice caught Master Nicholi's attention. He quickly stood to his feet. "My liege!"

Charlie turned to the man. "My liege? Does this mean you're Master Nicholi's master?"

Nicholi slowly turned to the boy as if he took in that his six year old servant was standing by his side. His face went back to the pinkish red from earlier that day. "What are _**you **_doing here!" he yelled in the boy's face.

"Uhh…" the boy stammered. Charlie nervously took a step backwards. He hadn't thought of a way to explain his appearance to Master Nicholi if he found him. Honestly, he didn't expect to find him. Funny how luck changes.

The man began laughing out loud. Master Nicholi's turned in bewilderment. He hasn't seen his boss laugh in years. "What's so funny?" he asked him.

"It would appear," the man said after taking in a big breath. "that this boy overheard our little conversation earlier and came here looking for you when you failed to return home."

Master Nicholi turned back to Charlie. "And what gave you such an idea? Did you even think about how dangerous might be?"

Charlie hung his head in shame.

"Well," the man interrupted the master's next sentence. "_**that **_is something you two can discuss later. "

Master Nicholi regain his composure. "Yes, sir."

The man nodded in return. "Right now, we should leave." he said.

"I take it that you took care of the Recovery Squad?" Master Nicholi asked his boss.

"Who do you think is lying on the ground?" the man snapped.

Master Nicholi immediately apologized.

"Wait a second!" Charlie shouted. His head was full of questions that hadn't been answered yet. He didn't care they had to leave. He needed answers and now.

"What do **you **want, you twit?" Nicholi retorted.

"What will happen if the Recovery Squad wakes up? What will they do?"

Master Nicholi leaned toward Charlie, smiling mischievously. "Well, to answer that question, they will kidnap you, since you were found in a crime scene. Then, they will strap you up to a chair and look into your brain." Nicholi added a tap to Charlie's forehead.

Charlie cringed at the last words. They would look into his brain? Don't they have to take it out first? The indescribable feeling of his head being chopped off shook him stiff.

"Seriously, Nicholi?" The man said, annoyed their time was being wasted with jokes. "Was that really necessary?"

Nicholi shrugged. "I thought it was."

Charlie recovered from his moment of shock. "Crime? This is a crime scene? Who committed the crime? Why did they do it? Wait…." Charlie remembered the earlier conversation. "Was it those people that you wanted to stop? Who is this Catherine you were after? What does she have to do with-"

"Okay, okay. You are a very a curious child!" the man observed.

"Well, guess I am." said Charlie proudly.

"He takes after his father." Master Nicholi said.

"Yes." The man uttered softly. "This boy will certainly be like his father."

Charlie heard the man. He looked at him cautiously. "You knew my father?" he asked.

"Yes." The man said. "I did."

"Do you know who killed him?"

The question brought a chilly silence in the air. None of the two men spoke but they looked at each other. It was like they were hiding something. Charlie wondered if the silence had to do with the answer he was going to receive.

"The same people that did all this." The man said.

Master Nicholi was surprised by the answer. A quick "What?" expression flashed across his face. However, Charlie caught it. Was it because it was the truth or a complete lie?

"Who are you talking about?" Charlie asked.

"The Keepers Guild." Master Nicholi said.

"Who are they?"

"Who they are is something you don't need to worry about. They wanted Grace and it seems that they did everything they could to get her."

Nicholi rubbed his neck. "They were a tough bunch alright."

Charlie looked at Master Nicholi. "You fought them too master?"

"Yes, I did."

"You did well." The man said.

"You were watching?"

"Is that so surprising to you?"

"Why?" Charlie asked simply. His innocent tone caught the man for a moment. He angrily shook his head. He had to stay far away from him as possible. This boy was effecting him too much.

"Why are you asking that? You are very annoying." The man snapped at Charlie.

Charlie was insulted. He had always hated being called annoying. "Well! You're… you're weird, creepy, and mean and- and … don't answer my questions!"

"And why should I?" the man shouted.

"Because I want to know!" Charlie yelled back.

"Enough!" Master Nicholi's bark stopped them both. He quickly understood what he just done. He would be in trouble later.

"I'm sorry." Charlie said quietly.

"Sorry, isn't going to cut it kid!" the man fumed.

Charlie hung his head in shame yet again that night. He didn't want to imagine about going home. The consequences of both Nicholi and Shain are going to be brutal.

"We need to discuss further about the mission." The man finally said. There were still hints of anger his voice. He tilted his head towards the boy. "You want to do it?"

Master Nicholi knew what his boss meant. "I don't mind." he said.

The man stared at Master Nicholi for a moment. "Nevermind." said the man. "You don't have much energy left. I'll do it. I think I'll enjoy it more."

Charlie looked up. "Enjoy what?" He turned from the man to the master. They were gazing at each other again. What were they planning? "Come on! What are you two talking about?"

Despite his plea, the two men were not listening to him. They spoke in low voices. Charlie jumped up and down furiously. "Are you even listening to me? How can you even talk about someone when they are right in front of you! That's not nice."

"You want to know what is not nice?" Master Nicholi snapped. "Overhearing people's conversations. Private conversations."

Charlie stopped hopping. He pouted. "I just wanted to know…"

Nicholi crossed his arms. "What am I going to do with you?" he said, closing his eyes.

"Doesn't matter." The man said. His arm shot forward to Charlie.

"What are you-" Charlie began but the words were barely out of his mouth when the man's hand hit his face. The last thing he saw was a fuzzy picture of a redish hourglass.

Nicholi opened his eyes. To his slight surprise, he saw Charlie being caught by the man he called his boss.

The color drained from his face. "I should have done that." he said.

The man tossed Charlie over his shoulder, half smirking. "No. You are on your last leg of strength. Plus, someone needed to shut this kid up. He was beginning to get on my nerves."

Nicholi pushed his growing anger aside. "Indeed." he replied.

"What have you conclude about the girl?"

Nicholi shifted to his other foot. Ready to begin to relay his observations. "There is a high possibility that she is with KG. However, the girl didn't seem to know what she was doing. It wasn't hard to take her down. I didn't have to do much expect stab her in a couple of places. If she is actually an operative, she is a really bad one."

The man's face was written with confusion. He turned to Nicholi.

"But a child, Nicholi? She is only maybe 14. That hardly corresponds with Keeper Guild's Operative Policy."

"But one of theirs, Ben Stanley, is close to her age."

"But his story is different. Ewan is not that dumb to recruit another child. Like you said, she didn't seem to have skills. Just a normal teenager. Did you check Robert's story?"

Nicholi nodded. "There was some truth behind the tale. He did have a house in Morjaca, but probably owned by the KG. Also, the house did burn down in a raid, but a year ago." He chuckled. "Sly dog." He muttered.

The man began doing the rare action, pacing. Facts weren't adding up. What was Ewan planning. Surely this had his name engraved in it. The man grunted in frustration. He hated not knowing. As a leader, he should always be two steps ahead of the game. This child has changed his plans completely.

"This calls for a new strategy." The man said to his partner.

"Okay, sir. What do you want me to do in the meantime?"

The man gazed at the unconscious bodies. They were starting to wake up again. He didn't have time to devise a proper and perfect plan at the moment. A temporary order should do.

"This girl is interesting. I'm going to meet her myself."

"Now?"

"Soon. Till then, continue to keep an eye on the girl and her friends. Tell me if anything new appears."

The man gave Charlie back to his master. A sudden idea popped up in his head as he was about to go.

"Another thing Nicholi."

"Yes sir?"

"See what she knows and find out how she contributes to Ewan's plans. However you want to do that is up to you. But I'm sure you will take pleasure in it."

Nicholi grinned cunningly. "Yes. I think I will."

The man gave a curt bob of his head before disappearing in a mist of black smoke. As if the man's presence had to do with the Recovery Squad's sleep duration, they began to regain consciousness. Nicholi took this as a sign to move out. He ran into the cover of the dark forest.

"Aww man!" the captain said as he got to his knees. His head felt like a ton of lead. "What happened?"

The comrade next to him shot up. "The man!"

The whole team instantly remembered the mysterious man in the black robe. Their eyes searched high and low for the person but he was gone. Strangely, the child was with him disappeared along with the man.

Finally, the last of the three field agents who were to catch the two invaders woke up. Seeing the them gone, he looked at the team leader for new orders.

"What now, sir?" one said.

The captain stayed silent, thinking. He could send out two men to go search for them. Whoever that man was, he knew magic. But his men weren't prepared for magic. Better to wait and report this later. He shrugged sheepishly. "Back to work guys! Before anything weird happens, again."

"I wonder who that was." The right field agent said out loud.

The captain shook his head in puzzlement. "Whoever that was, they were powerful alright. I guess we'll never know."

As the Recovery Squad went back to their jobs, no one noticed the spot at the end of the now fully functioning barrier. The place where an hourglass inscribed in a circle was burned into the ground, as if to claim the spot for itself.


	12. Chapter 13: The Race to Save

Chapter 13: The Race to Save

"Ben!" A cry broke the stillness.

Ben opened his eye. No new pain, could be felt anywhere. Ben searched with his good eye, astonished at this amazing discovery. He was alive. How?

The answer was sticking out above him. Carring had an arrow protruding out of his skull. Blood trickled down his angry face. The dagger that was supposed to kill Ben harmlessly dropped to his chest as Carring fell over, dead.

"Ben! You okay?"

Ben stood stiffly to his feet with some old pain rolling through him. Dizziness from being punched numerous times started to take its toll on his sight. Ben waited for a moment to let it pass.

At the gates, a man let go of his long bow. "You okay?" he called. He had long black hair. He was wearing a long leather pair of pants with a pale white top. His long, mysterious, face made him seem as sinister as his skills with a bow.

Ben gave a small, relieved laugh. "Yeah! Thanks, Matthew. I owe you one."

"No, you don't. Now let's go." He said bluntly as he started towards Ben. "We need to get you guys out of here. You've already created too much of a scene." He paused and gazed past Ben into the woods.

"Bark! Bark!"

"Over here! I think I see something!" shouted one of the castle guards.

"The Royal Guard is closing in. They'll be here any minute now." Ben said.

"Then we need to get out of here. Come on!" Matthew ran to Ben to support him. "We also need to get you to a doctor." He grunted as they ran to the gates. "Antoine!" he yelled.

"Here!" Antoine Hanson appeared where the gates once stood closed. He had the build of a bouncer but was light on his feet. His puffy brown hair was partly concealed by a bandana that was wrapped around his forehead. The newcomer took a couple of steps before lifting Callie's body off the bloody ground. To Ben horror, she looked lifeless with drops of blood dripping from her fingertips.

"Callie!" Ben lurched forward out of Matthew's grasp.

"What's going on?" Robert sat up from the trunk drunkenly. "Is it a party?" He saw Ben, Antoine, and Matthew. "Oh, hey guys."

"Hey, Robert!" Antoine said, causally.

Robert's smile faded when he saw Callie. "Whoa. What happened to her? Carring did that?"

"What happened doesn't matter right now." Ben retorted. "What matters now is that she needs to be taken to a medic."

"Right." Matthew armed his long bow. "Take Catherine to the carriage. I'll take care of the cavalry."

The trio sprinted past the gates and onto the road. A horse carriage waited along a store in front of them. The horses looked real to anyone, even to a horse trainer, except if you happened to look underneath.

"You guys two look bad, not to mention the girl." said Antoine as soon as they stepped inside the carriage.

"I would have died if it hadn't been for Matthew." Ben said. "Good thing we decided to take you along as backup."

Antoine grinned. "That's our specialty."

The two knew enough about the partners to say that Antoine was not just boasting. He himself was recruited for his excellent marksmanship and driving skills. The man's special gift for machines allowed him to control basically anything that could be used for transportation, which mostly made him the getaway driver for missions.

Antoine glanced at Callie who was laid on a seat with Ben trying to stop the bleeding. "But actually," he continued. "we all should be thanking her. She managed to open the gates in the first place."

"I knew she was up to something." Robert said, looking for the Field Injury Kit. They were going to need a lot of bandages because her blood seemed to be steadily oozing out. As the seat became more bloodstained, the group began to panic even more.

Ben was already kneeling over her, examining her injuries. He groaned in agony. There were so many that he couldn't count them with two hands. It was like she just been through a catastrophic warzone.

"Isn't there some jutsu stuff or magic you can do to stop the bleeding? It's soaking the seat!" Antoine frantically asked him.

"No. I'm not some specialized medic who can simply work some mojo and I can't physically stop the bleeding." Ben racked his brain for possible solutions. There must be something he could do with his energy. Wait a minute…

Ben placed his hands above where he thought her potentially fatal wounds were located. He closed his eyes and pushed the energy to his hands, a method he learned over a mission. Doing this, he could send his power to any part of her body so its cells could be energized and clot at a faster rate. It was a painstakingly slow process but hopefully it would help Callie's body repair itself.

Robert patted Ben on the back. "Good work buddy. You are doing great! She'll stop bleeding in no time."

"I don't think so. She's still bleeding onto the cushion." Antoine said.

"What?" both Ben and Robert exclaimed.

"Yeah! See?" Antoine pointed to a blood stain on the seat under Callie. It was growing exponentially.

"Wait a second, Ben." Robert turned Callie on her side. They all took in a breath in shock. Lodged next to Callie's spine was a huge key. Robert recognized it easily. It was the extra key to open one of castle doors. The key had to be at least 3 cm thick and 6 inches long.

Ben stopped Antoine who was about to remove it. "Don't touch it. It's better if we just leave it in."

"How did this happen?" Robert asked. "It's a huge key but it's hard to stab someone with it."

"It must have been Carring." Ben said.

"Do you mean that dude Matthew shot down?" Antoine said in shock. "He seriously did all that to her? How sick is he to do that to a defenseless teenaged girl? "

Robert nodded sadly. "Yeah, he was always a sick man. Good riddance. Is there anything we can do, Ben?"

"You two don't have medical training. The only thing we can do is apply pressure to the wounds and hope that we can get her to base in time."

"Yeah, and then all of this would have been for nothing." Antonie said.

"Yes and the end of everything…" Robert added quietly. No one else wanted to comment.

The pitter-patting of running footsteps came closer to the carriage. "Let's go Antoine!" Matthew yelled as he leapt into carriage. Antoine was in the driver's seat within seconds. He yanked the reins and the horses started galloping.

Arrows wizzed past the men. Some hit the sides of the carriages, while others missed completely. Everyone ducked to dodge the incoming projectiles. Ben shielded Callie with his body.

"Faster Antoine!" Robert yelled.

"I'm on it!" Antoine lifted the cushion next to him. After setting in the correct code, the wooden lid opened to reveal a small red button. He pressed it.

Below the carriage and unreal horses, a formation began to take place. If anyone of 1569 witnessed it, they would most likely end up in an insane asylum if they told anyone. What they would have seen the animals' legs disappear and replaced with gigantic wheels. The horses themselves combined to a shape similar to a hood of a car.

Meanwhile, Antoine reached under his seat and pulled out a steering wheel. The reins in his hand had solidified to become hard pipes. He connected them to the steering wheel. A loud click sound signaled the attachment. Meanwhile, Antoine's seat and the one next to him had begun to diverge into two parts. In between them, a sleek black and silver gear shift rose to the surface. Antoine set the gear on DRIVE.

The process was almost finished. Within moments, the once horse-drawn carriage had transformed into a high speed automobile but there was still one last thing to do. A glowing blue dial sat in the center of the steering wheel which served as the speed settings. Antoine smiled momentarily. He loved this part. "Better hold onto something!" Antoine called behind him as he set the dial to medium.

BOOOM! The automobile zoomed forward, going from 30 mph to 75 mph. Antoine thought about going faster but it would be smart to save that for the last mile. They still had a long way to go to get to HQ. Moving at the highest speed would waste their gas. Better wait until they really needed it.

The vehicle entered the shopping center of London. In a few hours, shopkeepers would be waking up to a bright new morning. The one difference would be that they would find arrows everywhere because the Royal guards decided to rain down arrows on the escapees from the rooftops. Both glass windows shattered and the body of the car thundered as the arrows hit it.

"Robert! Take the wheels!" Antoine called. Robert climbed forward next to Antoine who slid the steering wheel down to him.

"Great! I have to drive on the right side of the road now!" Robert muttered.

"Shut up and drive." Antoine said. "Matthew, are their extra arrows in the carriage?"

Matthew searched the compartments around the interior. "No but there should be!" he shouted after a minute. "I got enough for now. You search while I shoot. " Matthew joined Robert at the front while Antoine went inside the carriage.

The shopping center became a maze. Robert felt like he was in one of the _Need for Speed_ video games; where the good guy escaping from the bad guys in a speeding car and driving in a crowded city; near missing cars, and pedestrians. Although, in here, he was considered the bad guy who escaping from the good guys in a sleeping city and in a horse drawn carriage that turned into a car. Robert sighed. He hated being treated like the villain. If only they understood that he was doing all this for their sake.

"Look out!" Ben shouted from behind. Robert saw the upcoming building and made a sharp turn to the left. The side of carriage smashed into a cart. Matthew almost lost his balance.

"Watch it!" he snapped.

"Sorry!" Robert replied.

One by one, guards on the rooftops dropped like flies. Some screamed but most of them were died before they even could let out a gasp. Soon, the road was littered with bodies.

BAM! Robert cut a corner again but hit a printing press as a result. Windows smashed and papers went flying everywhere. Robert saw a light turn on inside the shop. This worried Robert. They were making too much fuss in the city, thus bringing unnecessary attention. Worst of all, there were guards everywhere and other carriages were approaching from behind. The mission was not going as planned.

Matthew was also growing concerned. "Where are all these men coming from? They couldn't have assembled this quickly in the city."

Robert shook his head. "They knew we were coming."

"But how?" Antoine asked. "The castle is way behind us. They couldn't have received a warning about us before we even came, let alone get on into places in time. Plus, I doubt the Royal Guard would go as far as shooting from rooftops. Isn't that bad fighting edict?"

"No, you don't get it." Robert said. "Those are Nicholi's special men. "The rules of war" of this time period is none of their concern. Somehow, he found out about the mission tonight and decided to stop us. Heads up!" Robert cut another corner.

Ben groaned. "Can this go any faster?" He shouted at Robert.

Antoine had found his extra arrows and started shooting at the guards from one of the carriage doors. "Yes, but we still have at least a twenty minute drive left and not that much fuel to go on." He told Ben. "It would be better to save the last of it until there is just ten minutes left."

"How is she, now?" Robert asked.

Ben's hands shook in exhaustion. "Still fading. I'm trying to do my best to hold onto her but…"

A moment later, Robert suddenly responded. "I'm taking a short cut!"

"What short cut?" Antoine started but then realized what "short cut" Robert was talking about. "_**That **_short cut? Are you mad? Didn't you say that alley was up for repairs during briefing? One wrong move can not only damage the carriage and jeopardize the mission, but Callie's life as well. Matthew!" Antoine pleaded to his leader for support. "For Christ's sake, knock some sense into him!"

Matthew said nothing as he continued to shoot down attackers.

"Matthew!" Robert elbowed him. "Yes or no?" The turn that lead to the short cut was approaching. Matthew didn't reply. The words hung uselessly in the night air. Everyone stayed quiet, waiting for the okay-signal from their leader. The anxiety began to build as a bend that will lead them to the short cut was moments away.

"Matthew!" Ben yelled.

"Go!" Matthew barked. Robert curved harshly into the bend.

Antoine stood. "Matthew!" Antoine protested. "But we…"

"But nothing!" Matthew snapped back. He was staring at Antoine with hard brown eyes that reminded him that Matthew never failed a mission. His ruthless willpower made sure of that. Maybe for this reason, Matthew was always, including in academy, chosen to be the mission leader. He wouldn't do anything to fail his comrades. Never. But, there is always a first time for everything.

"I don't think I need to explain the objective to you again, Antoine. Besides, we can lose the Guard the quickest there and still make it to HQ in time to save her." Matthew continued. "If you don't want to follow, please feel free to jump out. Any more objections?" No one uttered a sound. "Good. Robert, how far till we reach the alley?"

"Any second now."

"Okay. Everyone get ready." Matthew continued firing.

Robert made another quick turn. "We're here!"

He stopped the vehicle. Matthew put down his bow. No guards would have thought about coming onto these buildings' rooftops. The road they have taken was called "Crash Alley" among the field agents. Many carriages have been broken due to the terrible condition of the cobblestones. Some people and horses lost their lives. Going down this path was suicide. One wrong move can mean damage to the tires. With one gone, they were open for an accident and captivity by Nicholi's men. However, if all goes well, they could make it to the back roads in less than five minutes. From there, it would be another ten. The fate of all of them was laid on the present condition of the road.

The sound of galloping horses echoed off wooden walls behind them. The guards' carriages had decided to take the chance. There was no going back now.

Everyone waited for the perfect moment to make their move.

Seconds crawled by. They could see the smoke flaring out of the horses' nostrils, leading the vehicle around the corner.

Then a minute passed and the carriages were within eyeshot.

"Let's go Robert!" Ben suddenly shouted.

"Okay then! Everyone hold onto their seats!" Robert turned the dial to high and the car zoomed ahead.

The next few minutes of driving was a nightmare. Clothes, tables, food, and jewelry went flying in midair as they collided with the automobile. The car had barely any room to move in the alley so there was no escaping the head on collisions. The body of the vehicle bounced up and down rapidly as the wheels hit pits in the road. With every bump, the men we tossed into the air because of the speed they were going at. Even Matthew had no choice but to sit down. The disaster finally ended as the car pulled out into an empty road.

Antoine peeked behind them to see a blockade of smashed up carriages along the alley. They wouldn't be chasing them anymore. "It worked!" He cried out in joy. "Their carriages broke and the horses got hurt!"

Everyone let out a sigh of relief as they pulled into a silent back road. Not a person was in sight above them or behind them. They were safe at last.

"Woohooo!" Robert cheered while Antoine took over the wheel.

"Nice driving." Matthew said to him.

He shrugged. "I try."

Matthew cut him off. "But next time I'm doing it."

"What?" Robert protested but got a dismissing wave from Matthew. "Ha ha." He said instead, sticking out his tongue as he climbed back into the carriage. Matthew chuckled to himself.

Robert knelt beside Ben. He was shaking from complete fatigue. His muscles were crying out for mercy but he pressed on healing Callie. He was going to use every drop of energy he had left to save Callie, even if it killed him. Robert thought about asking Ben something but he knew better than to interfere with a ninja and their jutsu stuff.

Ben eyes shot open. "Oh my god." He said out loud.

"What's wrong?" Robert looked from Ben to Callie, who was cautiously pulling his hands away from her.

"This isn't good." He said worriedly and he stood. "Matthew, how far are we from HQ?"

"Only seven minutes. Why?"

"Something is taking over her body! It's blocking me from healing her. If we don't get there on time…"

"How is that possible?" Antoine yelled.

"I don't know! But, we have to go faster than we are now!"

Antoine immediately turned the dial on high. The car shot forward at almost a hundred miles an hour.

"Isn't there a way to counteract the process?" Robert asked Ben.

"No. The force of the hold is way too powerful. It's mentally bringing her down her willpower. There's absolutely nothing I can do."

"How much time does she have?" Matthew called.

"About five minutes."

"That more than enough time." Matthew went to the front and opened a glove compartment next to Antoine. After digging around, he revealed a walkie-talkie. "Alta to Base. Alta to Base. This is Team Alta calling in. Do you copy?" A quick reply came a second later.

"Team Alta, this is Cosign Blue. " A female dispatcher said. "How can we assist you?"

"Cosign Blue, Team Alta has an emergency Code Red. Subject is fatally wounded and needs immediate medical assistance. Please open front gates and have medical personnel on standby. ETA: four minutes."

Cosign Blue did not answer until a minute later. "Team Alta, gates are open and a medical team is waiting at Dock 1. The lane is clear for your arrival. You have top priority."

Matthew let out a sigh. "Roger that. Team Alta, signing out. See you in few." He put the device back into its place. "Don't worry Ben. She'll be fine."

Ben was beginning to tear up. Robert was shocked. He and Ben had been buddies for years and completed tons of missions, but never did he once see Ben cry. Not even a tear drop for fallen comrades that died in battles or missions. Why is he shedding tears for a girl he just met? Maybe it was the fact that their whole existence rested on this girl's shoulders or was it because he had finally met a girl from Primary Earth like him? Or was he just exhausted?

The car stopped for an instant. Robert returned from his deep thoughts. They were at HQ. The entrance was a large cavern cut out of a hill. It took months of cover-up and explosives. Neighbors around the area consider this hill "Haunted Hill," because of the weird sounds made throughout the day in order to keep outsiders out.

The doors were already open so the car zoomed inside to Dock 1.

Matthew and Robert jumped out of the carriage to make room for the three paramedics waiting on the ground. Two of them carried Callie out of the vehicle and onto a stretcher. Another man rushed forward to examine Callie with a stethoscope. As soon as he was inches away, he stopped at the sight of a black bubble that had mysteriously formed around her body when they moved her from the car. A faint symbol of an orange hourglass sat on top. Everyone gasped except the doctor with the stethoscope.

"Lord Dougal?" Ben said. "He had something to do with this?"

The physician didn't seem surprised or shocked. He maintained a straight face. "How long ago was it since you first felt a barrier to her?" he asked Ben.

"About 5 minutes ago. I couldn't do anything to stop it." He replied sadly.

The doctor gave a curt nod before pulling out a thin rod-shaped device. It resembled a miniature printer. He then held it as closely as he could without touching the bubble over her body and began to slowly scan from her head to her toes. After he was done, he pressed a red button on the side which sent all the attained information about her injuries to his electronic clipboard.

"She defiantly does not have much time left." He said staring at the clipboard. The screen displayed the generated photo of the body scan along with the location of all her injuries. As he suspected by just looking at the girl, they were serious. "Just to be safe, let's take her down to the surgical area where Dr. Arian is already waiting." The doctor took out a stylus a jotted down a few notes. "Let's go." He ran towards the elevator with everyone following closely behind him. Once inside, the doctor pressed the "ER" button that would send them to the Trauma Bay below.

Within a minute, the group was already on their way to the surgery room with another medical team. Dr. Arian took over and briefed the team on Callie's status from the previous doctor's clipboard.

"Patient was found with multiple stab wounds, mainly on the arms and the middle of the back, the one being the fatal wound. Numerous bruises and scratches to the face. The nose is most likely broken. Internal bleeding is highly probable. The patient is being influenced by Dougal at the moment, wearing her down mentally."

The new doctor paused in disbelief for a moment. He took a quick glance at Callie. The patient was only a young girl. He was imaging his daughter on the operation table. How can anything like this happen to just a kid? He just prayed he could save this girl's life or it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

After dashing down a white corridor, they finally reach the operating room. Inside nurses began to strap a breathing mask onto Callie's face and prepare an IV line. One assistant stood nearby, recording the incident.

The new leader began barking his orders to his nurses. "Carla! Get me five bags of blood."

"Yes sir!"

"Brandon! Get some psychics. Let's see if we can reverse the barrier for a bit."

One by one the team members ran off to do their duties until the doctor and a few other nurses and assistants were left prepare for the operation. The doctor decided to seize the opportunity to step outside for a bit, so he could go over his plans. It was only then he noticed Ben, Antoine, Matthew, and Robert standing silently by a row of chairs. Worriment was written all over their faces.

He walked over to them. They all turned to him in anticipation.

"We will do what we can but her situation is very severe." he told them. "AAAhhh…." He usually never spoke to the patient's comrades before the operation. It was an unwritten rule among KG Emergency Medicine Physicians, but he couldn't shake the thought of the possibility that was _his_ daughter in that room. Wouldn't he want to be informed? Plus, they were there meaning they cared, unlike the other agents who would have been long gone by now.

He glanced at his wristwatch for some help. "If she makes it through, we will request a healer. The problem with that is we are understaffed tonight … As I said before, we will do what we can physically but I think the rest is up to Catherine." The looks on the comrades' faces told him that he wasn't doing a good job informing.

"Why don't you go get yourselves checked up?" he offered. "You guys look a little-"

Matthew coldly cut the doctor off. "We're fine." he said.

The doctor sighed. At least he tried. "Suit yourselves."

The men waited till the doctor went inside the surgery room and the red light lit up, meaning the last leg to save Callie's life was about to being.

"What is your problem?" Antoine asked Matthew.

"What do you mean?" he answered innocently.

"I mean your beef with the doc. Attitude problems lately?"

"I don't like doctors." Matthew said flatly.

Antoine opened his mouth to ask another question. "And don't ask why." He snapped.

"Geez! Okay, sorry." He sat down on a chair behind him.

SQUEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEAK! The creepiest sound of a hospital ricocheted from a hallway to the right. They turned to the noise, a little annoyed. No one waiting in a hospital wanted to hear the sound of a gurney being rolled down with a possible dead body on it, especially when concerned friends were waiting in the ER.

The pushing stopped right at the bend of the corner. "Ellooo?" A cowboy hat on a fluff of a crazy orange hair peeked around the corner. A pair of eyeglasses glinted in the tube light.

"Carl?" Ben called.

The newcomer caught sight of him and his friends. "Dang it! I thought no one would 'ere ta' day!" He had a slight Southern accent.

"Well…" Robert began under his breath.

"Who are you sending off today Carl?" Ben said after glaring at Robert.

Carl was the headquarters' ME, or Medical Examiner. When he didn't have too many bodies to conduct autopsies on, he brings the dead down to the morgue himself.

Because of renovation, the morgue was moved to the floor below the ER. The nearest elevator was at the end of this hallway. Many people sent complaints but Carl wasn't the one to care. Why would he care what people think when he might be the one end cutting them open later? Ben was probably the only one in the whole building that was friendly to him.

Carl pushed his cart to where they were standing. "I wanted to try another way but…"

Ben smiled. "That's okay, Carl. It doesn't bother us."

"Speak for yourself!" Antoine said, sitting in the furthest seat.

"Thank you Benny-boy!" Carl rubbed his thin hand on Ben's head. He then noticed something about his face. "You've been crying Benny?"

Ben swiftly rubbed his face with a torn sleeve. "It's nothing." He said.

Carl didn't want to pry into something that wasn't his business. He already had to do that every day with dead corpses. "If you say so, kid."

Antoine was looking at the covered body. "So who's the unfortunate one, doc?"

Carl's face shined as he told about his latest patient. "Oh, he's a big catch alright! This one's straight from the Queen's court!"

Robert's face was the next to light up. "Really? Who is it?"

"Uhhh…" Carl walked around to the other side of the gurney where a clipboard hung from the side. He read of the name. "A Sir… Carring Wellington. According to the records, he is the head of the Gentlemen of the Guard. Or was."

Ben and Robert looked at each other in surprise.

"That was fast." Robert said. "The Recovery Squad must be working hard tonight."

The Recovery Squads do exactly as their name sounds like. They go out after every mission and battle to recover the wounded and the dead. If matters are not done secretly as hoped, a chosen few of the squad's techies and field operatives go out and mindwipe (using LEP Recon or elf technology; The Artemis Fowl Series by Ecoin Colfer) the bystanders and return them to where they belong. They are like the clean-up crew to a crime scene.

Matthew was confused. "Didn't I kill him like an hour ago?"

Carl was also completely bewildered at the matter but for a different reason. "What are you folks talkin' bout? Carring has been in my lab the whole day. He was found a couple of nights ago but I wasn't able to get to him until day. It says 'ere that Carring was killed in a newbie training accident."

"What?" Antoine yelled as his jumped from his seat. "Give me that!"

Antoine grabbed the charts from Carl's hand. The longer he tried to read the papers on the clipboard, the redder his face became. He finally threw the clipboard down on the body. "What the heck does that thing even say? It's doctor talk with big words and abbreviations! Who else is supposed to comprehend that?"

"People with medical experience." Ben replied. "Let _**me**_ take a look at that." Ben picked up the notes from the body. He intently scanned the pages. He didn't say anything for two minutes.

"How does he know how to read that?" Antoine whispered to Robert.

He shrugged. "He has medical training. Don't underestimate him just because he's a kid. He knows more than you think." Antoine shrank back to his place behind the group.

"So what does it say?" Matthew asked.

Ben's eyes stayed on the current page as he spoke. "Carl is right. Carring was drugged and found his way to a criminal capture simulation for the cadet at the KG academy nearby. The cadets mistook him for the criminal, attacked him before finally freezing him. He was already dead by the time the instructors found him. " Ben continued flipping pages. "This Carring died of hypothermia along with multiple fatal injuries to both the heart and head. Nothing matches with the Carring we ran into."

Robert ran a hand through his hair. "This can't be happening." He said, turning away from them.

"Wait." Ben said. He unzipped the white body bag. The actual Carring face was puffy and soggy.

Antonie and Robert cringed in disgust. Matthew made no reaction except for a tilt of his head to get a better look of Carring's face.

"I really don't know how anyone could fake that." Antonie grunted.

Carl had enough of the conversation. "Well, either way," he zipped up the bag. "this _**is**_ Sir Carring Wellington, unless you want to argue against DNA. So that must mean that the guy your talkin' bout is an imposter. I would love to stay and chat some more but…" he jutted his thumb down the hall. "I have to take this buddy down to the morgue. I think I'd rather take the elevator."

Carl made his way down the hall to the elevator. "Good day!" he sang.

"That was weird." Antoine said, breaking the silence.

Robert took his eyes from off the ground. "Yes but it makes total sense!" He flopped onto a nearby chair. Everyone turned towards him.

Ben joined Robert on the row of seats. "What do you mean?"

"I was wondering; Carring hasn't shown up in court. Queen Elizabeth sent men to look for him and report back to her. Then, he shows up in the middle of a fight, perfectly fine? Plus, when he found of that Callie was his opponent, he still tried to kill her! The real Carring would have at least taken her to the queen himself in an act of chivalry."

"What was he doing on the palace grounds in the first place?" Antoine piped up. "Shouldn't he be in the palace since he is the commander?"

Robert rested his tired head on a hand. "Right, exactly. I know Carring. He wouldn't have allowed himself to get killed so easily with an arrow. No offense tended Matthew."

Matthew kept a straight face. "None taken. I was actually thinking the same thing. He was the easiest target I've ever gotten. Someone of his skill shouldn't be that easy to shoot down."

Antoine give an out a big groan. "Okay. So… we know now that the Carring _we_ at the gate was an imposter. The only questions that remain are who was pretending to be him and why."

"And neither of them we know." Robert added.

"No." Matthew said. He scanned the group. "I think we know exactly who was there. Right Ben?"

Once again, everyone looked to Ben because he looked like he had finished the puzzle. He also looked like he didn't like what he got.

"Robert?" he asked with a shocked face. "Who did Queen Elizabeth send out to find Sir Carring?"

Robert pondered the answer for a moment. "I believe she sent the Intelligence Bureau."

"And who is the head of that?"

The three men held in their breath, knowing the answer.

"Nicholi." he said without looking at them.


	13. Chapter 14: My Inner Heart

Chapter 10: My Inner Heart

"Where am I?"

I found myself in a creepy forest. This one was defiantly wasn't the one I passed through with Robert and Ben earlier. From the looks of it, the woods seemed to be in the midst of mid-fall, not spring. The leaves had left the trees and joined the ground. Plus, it was daytime with extremely cloudy skies. The springs I've experience were almost always sunny.

There was one detail that was the same: this place, whatever it was, popped out from a horror movie. I almost half expected to find a swamp or a lake to magically appear through the thick fog that covered this new land I was now walking in.

I began to wonder how I could have possibly ended up here. The last thing I remembered was opening the gates at the castle. Hopefully I had opened them in time for Robert and Ben to escape.

"I'm probably just dreaming!" I exclaimed. "I couldn't suddenly just pop here out of nowhere." I nervously glanced around. The forest was eerily quiet. "Right?"

No matter, I continued walking. Maybe I wasn't the only person in this place. Maybe there was a cabin was nearby. Don't most woods have one for campers during the winter? Like a winter cabin?

Amazingly, a few minutes later, I found that I wasn't scared anymore. Usually, a normal human being would be in survival mode. However, I was calm as if I was walking in my own home. I was comfortable treading through the trees, like I've been here before. My instincts began to lead me in a direction even though I was sure I have never been here before. What was going on? Were dreams supposed to be like this?

A sound stopped me in my tracks. I leaned forward to get a better hearing of the noise. It was faint but it sounded like… crying. I leapt for joy. So I'm not alone!

I started running towards the weeping person. Maybe they were lost just like I was. Maybe we could find a way out together! I ran faster.

A part of me wondered who the person might be. I hoped it wasn't a creepy man. Usually those encounters don't end well, especially for girls.

The closer I got, the louder the crying got. Wow. This kid must be really lonely.

"Hold on!" I shouted as I sprinted towards them. "I'm coming!"

The air slowly became thicker. I was soon forced to lower how fast I ran. I then realized that it wasn't the air that was slowing down. It was bad vibes coming from where the crying was. I felt it as it ate at me. How sad was this person?

Despite the horrible feeling I now felt, I was determined to finish my search. Still, the closer I got, the sadness and despair became unbearable.

Soon, I was forced to stop to catch my breath against a tree trunk. God, I hope I could reach this person in time-

I saw a drop fall to the ground. Where did that come from? Is it raining?

It took me a minute to realize I was crying. Why was I crying? Was it because of the person's intense emotions that were radiating everywhere? Why were these emotions affecting me?

I took in a deep breath and began running again. I had no idea where I was going. The only direction I had was that there was something pulling at my heart. It was like it was telling me where to go. God, I seriously hope I could get there-

BAM! I hit an invisible wall. I was knocked to the ground. I instantly tried to get back on my feet but heavy emotions weighed down on me. It was engulfing me and making it harder to breathe. I could hardly move my arms. With much difficultly I sat up.

Through a space between trees, I saw a small clearing. It was certainly small but as I crawled towards it, I noticed that it was circular. Weirdly, the sky started darkening even more and soon, it looked like a big bad thunderstorm was on its way. Although the air around the circle changed, the inside of it was still lighter. It reminded me of a spotlight on stage during a play. Why only that spot?

"Hello?" I called. The answer was sobs. It sounded like a little girl.

I finally made my way to the very edge of the circle. Standing there was agonizing. All the vibes and emotions was centered around a little figure wearing a white dress hunched over, crying. Their hands were clenching the opposite arms so hard that they started to bleed. The sight broke my heart. I found myself bawling too. My heart felt like someone had put a ten pound weight on it. My head was spinning and breathing was harder than before.

Thoughts immediately started zipping around in my mind. How I wasn't like the other girls at my school. How I was such a fail at life. How I had only one good friend even though I didn't deserve one. I was only weighing Sharon down. I could literally see everyone's faces surrounding me, laughing, staring, whispering to each other.

Moments later, I found myself sobbing like the kid. There was a connection. We both shared the same pain and sorrow. But how was that possible? I barely knew them until now. And why now when I cross this… wall?

"Hey, kid?" I said.

I hoped that if I could end their pain, maybe I could end mine too.

That was when I noticed that there was no grass here in the circle. The trees on the edge were dead and withered away. Not only did their strong emotion was effecting me but the life here as well. No wonder nothing seemed to live here! I had to put a stop to this.

I crawled to the figure. "Hey. It's okay." The words had a hard time coming from my mouth.

"It'll be alright." I grunted but a little voice inside my head screamed that it won't be. It'll never be.

I stopped. I was only two feet away now. The weight was too much to bear. I had to stop this… before something bad happens. But could I, before I have a mental breakdown like them?

"Help….. Me….." said the little person in front of me.

"What?" I gasped. "Help you?"

"Yes." The crying stopped. "Isn't that why you came?"

The little figure lifted its head.

I scrambled away, terrified to death of not what but _who_ had been crying all along.

"How… how…" I couldn't get the words out. Sitting before me was a younger version of me. Me from six or seven years ago. What was me, or she, doing here?

"Help. Me." Mini-me said again.

One question was answered. I realized why I was being affected by her emotions. Technically, they were my emotions too. However, this felt a thousand times worse than reality. Why?

"I'm sorry." I muttered. "I can't or don't know how to…" I tried to move away from her but of course, I couldn't.

At that moment, my young self crawled slowly to me. She moved like a slug. Like the whole world was sitting on her shoulders. Was I really like this back then?

Minutes had become like an hour by the time she reached me. She stretched out a trembling hand towards me.

"Um… Hi?" I said.

Her freezing hand touch my cheek. From there, a blinding pain went throughout my body. It knocked out all the voices but only for a split second. Then they suddenly came rushing back like a Metro train, even louder and meaner than before.

I found myself curled up in the fetal position. I couldn't stop weeping. Tears were flowing fivers down my cheeks. My mind was going haywire in madness and despair. What has she done to me?

I tried to search for her so I could ask her. I couldn't find her. She had disappeared without a trace. Where had she gone?

"Great," I thought. "I'm stuck here forever. With no way out. I was alone in this…" I looked around. The sky seemed only to get darker. "dark and lonely world. No wonder nothing lives here. They might have to go through this."

A voice proved me wrong. "Welcome to the Inner Heart, Catherine." A man said. He had a middle-aged voice but it was soft. A real antagonist movie voice was what he had.

"Inner Heart?" I rasped.

I weakly picked up my head to find the source of the sound. To my left, a dark figure stood at the edge of the circle. The darkening shadows made the man look like a demon in full form. Maybe he was a demon.

"Who are you?" I croaked. My voice sounded pathetic! I hated this.

"My name isn't important compared to your situation."

Situation? Was he talking about my position or the whole accident of me dropping into another time period?

"Where am I again?"

I realized that if I ever had a chance to get out of here, it would be with this guy. Unlike me, maybe he remembers how he got here.

I eyed him closely. He looked suspicious but I was growing desperate. Really desperate. I didn't know how long I could hold onto my sanity. _If_ I could hold onto it.

"You are in the Inner Heart."

"What is the Inner Heart?"

"The Inner Heart was a term created by Yuu Watase for the manga, Alice 19th . The meaning is literal. You are inside your heart. In a spiritual sense of course."

Inside my own heart. It made sense! It was the reason for the mini-me and why I felt like this. I am in my own heart and these are my feelings. But isn't mangas like Japanese comics? Why am I in something from a Japanese comic?

"You always had this hurt." The man went on. "This sadness, grief, and misery. All these unnecessary emotions were place here by the people around you. Your classmates, family, even the person you call your friend."

I knew he was right. In fact, despite his creepiness, I was beginning to like him. It was like he knew me. He understood how I felt. Maybe I could trust this guy.

A wild anger came out of nowhere. It welled up from inside of me. This whole thing was unfair! Why did I have to be sent to a totally different time period and left there! I certainly didn't deserve it! If anyone deserved it, it was GiGi Clarkis!

My anger began to make me cry even more. Why me? Why me? How was I going to get out of this? How? I was left with no answers and all alone. What do I do?

"There. There." he said calmly. The man was next to me. He pulled me into his arms and held me tight. When did he come over?

"I can help you."

Finally! Those were the words I was waiting so long for!

"You can?"

He chuckled as he brushed a hair out of my eyes."Yes, my dear. When you physically get hurt, chemicals called endorphins try to numb the pain. But _this _pain is something different. It can't go away naturally. You have only two options."

I sniffled. "What are they?"

"Conventionaly, the only thing that could save you is yourself. However, in the state you are in, I doubt you can do that."

I didn't know where he was going with this. "Okay… what is last thing that could save me?"

" I can. I can take you away from here. You don't deserve to be here, Catherine. You should be at peace. Happy. You should be at a place you belong."

Once again, the strange man was right. I should be happy and somewhere else. The place I belonged: my own time zone!

"Okay, what did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Well," he turned his face toward his left hand. In that palm was a double-edged dagger.

"No way! Suicide? You're kidding right?"

Even though I couldn't see his face thanks to the jet black robe with the hood drawn over his head, his silent told me he was serious.

"It's the only way. I mean, unless you want to stay here."

I drew in a big breath. He had a point. I didn't want to stay here. Maybe this was truly the only way out of this mess. Maybe I had to end it, before the whole lot became even worse. Plus, who would notice beside Sharon? Everyone probably thinks I'm dead and this probably isn't a dream. Both me being in England and me being here right now.

I don't even know if Sharon is alive. What happens if she isn't? Am I going to let myself suffer for the sake of a person that is probably dead?

I gave my answer by reaching for the hilt. My fingers gripped the cold metal. As if to encourage me on my pathetic but last option, the voices in my head grew louder. I drew the dagger closer to me.

"NO!" screamed a thunderous voice in my head. It was louder than all the others. So loud that I dropped the weapon and gripped my throbbing head.

"Don't do it!" the person said. It was a male but familiar..

"What's wrong?" the my savior said.

POOF! A little black bird popped from thin air and appeared by his side.

"Master," a cute female sound came from the bird. She sounded seductive but a bit more like a cute flake. "I have a message for you."

The man waved her away. "Not now, Miranda. I am busy at the moment. But stay! I might have a message for you to send to someone."

Miranda saw me and hopped to the ground. She made her way closer. Her head tilted in every way with each hop, as if to inspect me.

"What's wrong with her? Don't tell me the message is about her!" she said.

The man was now watching me writhing in agony from my throbbing head. The voice was clearing the other voices from my mind but they too were putting up a fight.

"Can't you tell?" he said. "It's Wizard Ewan."

Miranda scooted back in disgust. "That man? What does he want with her? What is he doing to her?"

The master of the bird shook his head slowly. "I don't know."

"What do you want?" I screamed to the man in my head. As far as I could tell, _he_ wasn't helping me at all. He was hurting me more.

A swirl of white clouds circled around me. When the master and his pet saw it, they started moving away.

"No! Wait! No go! Don't leave me here…." But they drifted away rapidly. Soon, they were just in front the edge to the forest.

"Callie." There was that voice again. What could he possibly want?

"This is getting interesting…" said the far-away man. He was so far off now that I had to strain to hear him. What did he find interesting?

"Callie!" The voice boomed louder.

I winced.

"What?" I snapped.

"Don't do it!"

I wished that I could roll my eyes at that moment. "Is that all you have to say?" I asked.

"No. Don't be a fool. Sharon is alive and well. She is searching for you too. Suicide will only bring you two further away from each other than you already are."

I opened my eyes and looked at the knife on the ground. Sharon was alive? But how? If she actually is, where is she? Is she in England too?

"How can I be sure that you are telling the truth?" I whispered.

There was a momentary pause before: "How do you know I am not?"

I didn't answer.

"I can help you, Callie."

"How can I trust you?"

"Well, I helped you before, remember? What makes you think I can't now? Besides, that man and his bird over there don't provide any better options."

I peered to where the man and Miranda were watching me. The voice had a point, suicide wasn't a good option. Plus, he did help before a couple days ago in my room where as that other guy didn't do anything so far. What else did I have to lose?

"Fine." I said.

The man heard me. "Fine? Fine to what?" He stood and began to rush to me. As he bounded toward me, I felt a strange sense of peace. The man in my head was chanting "Na Sara Lotis Raan."

The other man's hand was out and I could see a strange symbol of a hourglass in a circle begin to glow fiery orange. There was a look of hatred in his eyes that said, "You're not getting away, Catherine!" I couldn't hear the other words he was mouthing because meanwhile, all the emotions faded away. The last time I saw the man, he was a foot away.


	14. Chapter 15: The Newcomer

Chapter 15: The Newcomer

I woke up with a start in a pretty decent bed. I began to stretch out myself. I was a little sore but it was WAY better than what I felt ….

"What was up with that dream?" I said. That had to be the wackiest and scariest dream I ever had. Was that little girl really me? Was I that miserable on the inside?

As I sat up in my bed, my elbow banged against the table next to me. A piece of paper fell to the floor. My back screamed as I bent to pick up the paper.

It was a note.

**Dear Callie,**

**Sorry I couldn't be there when you woke up. Had some business to take care of. Hope you feel better than hours before. (Man, what a mission. Right? Smiley face) If I'm not mistaken, there are some extra clothes picked out for you. A nurse will come to get you when you're needed. **

**See you later!**

**Sincerely, **

** Ben**

I placed the letter down. At least that answered one of my many questions. It seems that I'm in a hospital. I looked under the covers. Duh! Hospital gown! But the question is, where exactly?

I painstakingly got out of bed and stumbled to find the shower. My whole body was in pain. God! If I ever met that man again, I was going to give him a good taste of my wrath.

A white door on the right hand corner of the room. I was lucky enough for it to be the bathroom. Just before I entered the room, I saw a pile of clothes laid neatly on a chair next to the bed.

"Oh my god! Are you kidding me?!" I moaned and made another two trips across the room.

It seemed nice to get a hot modern shower for once in a long time. It has been so long that I almost forgot how to switch it on. I spent an half an hour just letting the water run down my body. I happily forgot everything I've been through so far. For once in a long time, I felt relaxed. I later had to force myself to get out of the shower before someone came knocking on my door, "Hey! Save some water for the fishes!"

A lady in a traditional maid's outfit was waiting in the room when I stepped out of the bathroom. Surprised, I jumped backwards and slipped on the wet floor.

"Oh I am so sorry." She said in a polish accent. "I didn't mean to scare you!"

"But you did." I mumbled, rubbing my aching butt. "Ever heard of knocking?"

"I did but you were in the shower."

Glare.

"My apologies, madam." The maid bowed deeply.

I thanked my lucky stars that I clothes on or this would have been awkward.

"No problem." I said to her and went to my bed.

"I hope you found the clothes to your liking?" She said, still standing in the same spot.

"Yeah. " I was wearing skinny jeans and a sparkling loose tee. I was even given complementing Converse shoes. "Surprisingly, this is actually the style back in my…" I couldn't find the words.

"Primary Earth?" she excitedly finished for me.

"Huh?"

"Never mind!" The polish woman took the towel from my hands. "I will inform Mr. Dimo that you are ready."

She left before I ask her anything. Dang, I could have found out where I was. Well, I guess I had to figure that out for myself.

I debated on whether to stay or to leave. If I leave, I could explore the place. Still, Ben and the nurse basically told me to stay till someone came to get me. Then again, when do I ever listen to people?

_Knock Knock! _A knuckle rapped on the door. Then a head popped through the crack.

"Hey Callie!" Ben's face had a welcoming smile on it. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he stepped inside.

"Better. At least _**you**_ know how to knock." Ben gave a puzzled expression.

"Never mind. " I told him.

He was still wearing in the same outfit that he had on the last time I saw him. The only difference was that he had a few Band- Aids on his face and neck, and his robe looks more gothic. Or was it because he was not standing in the dark?

I asked him, "How about you? You have a lot of cuts on your face."

He placed his hand on one on his cheek. "Could be better. Still have some bruises, but I'll live."

I sighed, not wanting to think about the mission. "So, what now?" I asked instead.

Ben's grin came back. "_Now _all of your questions will be answered." There was anticipation in his voice.

"It's about time!" I said in a snobby manner, jokingly.

Ben laughed. "You look nice today." he complimented.

I glimpsed down. "Yeah, what is up with that? How do you guys know about the latest style back in my… uh… Primary Earth?"

Ben glanced at a huge device on his wrist. "We should go but I'll tell you on the way." His hand politely gestured out the open door.

I nodded and stepped out of my room into a pure white hallway. It almost looked like a stereotypical emergency hospital hallway. I was looking left when Ben quickly steered to the right. He was walking at a fast pace. Were we in a hurry?

"Hey!" I called and raced after him.

"Who told you about Primary Earth?" he asked when I had finally caught up with him.

"The maid who came in."

"Oh."

"Why?"

"No reason. Just curious, that's all. Anyway, to answer your first question, the head secretary, Ms. Bullings, loves the newest fashions of every world. When she took one look at you, she insisted that you wear…" he pointed at my clothes. "that."

"Oh." I gasped. Ben took a sharp left.

"Does she do that to everyone she meets?" I asked.

Ben thought for a moment. "Sort of. It was mainly just you. Actually, this was the first time she picked out outfits for newcomers in a long time." He emphasized the on "long time" part.

"Why me? What's so special about me?"

"Because you're essential Callie! Can't you see that?" Ben's expression had more concern in it than it did a moment ago. What was up with that? I decided not to press the issue further.

We passed a group of people with lab coats. They were talking when one of them glanced at me and motioned to the others. They all began to whisper quietly and urgently. I turned away.

"So, what am I essential for?"

"You'll find out." Ben said.

We passed by more people. Some of them just ignored us or had their faces buried in a file, too busy to notice. On the other hand, most of them stared, particularly at me. I gave a big sigh. This can't be good.

Ben stopped abruptly, making me bump into him. "We're here." He said.

We were standing in front of iron double doors with two guards on each side. The guards looked like they meant business with their three foot guns and SWAT appearance. They were heavy built and their navy blue caps just amplified their menace.

Although they weren't the first guards I saw this far. I saw a couple more as Ben and I were walking here. They were standing guard in front of various doors like here but this door had twice more. Meaning, whatever was behind those doors, it was seriously important.

I glanced around me. With the all white hallways, the complicated- looking machines we passed by occasionally, the preoccupied people in lab coats, and the security guards with big guns, this place resembled more to a top secret lab than a hospital.

"Hey Ben!" one guard greeted in a full American accent. He raised a black gloved hand. "What's up, son?"

"Hey, John." Ben replied cheerfully. They both did a quick handshake. He shrugged. "Nothing much."

"Who's your friend?" another accused. He had a stereotypical Italian mobster accent, as if he was taken from the streets of New Jersey. The other three began to snicker loudly.

Ben turned to me. "Who? Callie? No, she from Earth Prime. Ewan wants to see her."

The guards' eyes light up when they hear the name "Ewan." They glanced at each other, somewhat impressed.

John leaned closer to me. "Earth Prime, Wizard Clarence, Special access? You are one important girl, Callie."

"So they me." I mumbled taking a glance at Ben.

John stared down at me for a long time. His face was deadly stern and I was almost afraid he was going to attack me. Forget about the gun, one hit and I will be spending the next five minutes counting the number of stars that would be dancing around my head. I could feel his eyes piercing down on me from even though his cap hid them. I knew he was eyeing me in order to tell why I was so important and among other unknown things so I just stared right back at him.

"Give a rest, will you?" said the farthest one. This one seemed like the oldest one with hints of gray hair mixed with his brown hair. He also had a heavy Irish accent. "You are scaring the poor lass."

John leaned backwards and laughed. "Sorry, kid." He rubbed my hair. "Got carried away."

I patted my hair quickly back into its place. What was I, a little boy?

"Can we pass?" I insisted. I was beginning to get tired of this.

"Sure you can!" the Irish man said. He turned and revealed a metal panel jutting out of the wall. Above that was a screen and an eye laser.

"Is that an eye and fingerprint recognition system?" I asked out loud.

The Italian guard whistled. "Wow! You've only been here for a day and already know our security system! Smart, assertive, and hot." He winked at Ben. "You picked a keeper, Ben!"

"What?" both Ben and I exclaimed unanimously.

"She's just a friend." Ben said, completely embarrassed.

"Not really a friend either! We just met hours ago!" I added.

The guards rolled their eyes and nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah. Whatever floats ya' boat." said the Italian. "Yo, John! Let these "kids" through!"

John walked to security device. He leaning into the screen and placed a hand on the plate below, keeping his right eye wide open.

The system had a soothing lady's voice. "John W'las." It said. "Security guard." An holographic ID of John appeared with other information. "Access granted. You may proceed." The doors slowly opened.

"In you two go!" said John.

"Thanks!" Ben said, walking in with me.

"Nice meeting you!" I hollered to them.

"You too Callie!" John said, waving.

"Hey Ben!" the Italian man stepped in front of the opening. "Got your ID?"

Ben smiled and raised a plastic card. "Always do! See ya'!"

The other three guards waved goodbye as the doors closed as slowly as it opened.

We approached another set of double doors with the same system on the right wall. These doors looked newer, though.

"They were interesting." I said to Ben after he got his hand and eye scanned.

"Sorry 'bout that. They are always bugging me about getting a girlfriend."

"Why don't you?"

Ben shrugged. The doors opened a bit quicker than the last ones. "I don't know. I never had the time.

I was halfway through the doors when I saw them closing in fast from the corners of my eyes. Ben yanked me through.

"What the heck!" I stared in shocked when the doors closed with a bang. "They almost crushed me!"

Ben looked at me apologetically. "Sorry. Should have warned you. Those were new doors that are supposed to prevent people from coming in from behind. The first doors are going to be replaced next week." He patted my back. "Don't worry though. The next ones are regular."

Ben was right. The last sets of doors were normal besides the number pad on them.

When we stepping through the final secured doors, we were instantly greeted by a young man who came to our left.

"Ben, my man! What's cookin'?" He wore polo shirt, black pants, and had a good tan and shortly spiked hair. This one was different from the other people I had encountered. I could guess from his tan, figure, and pearly white smile that he was the ideal Abercrombie and Fitch type. He gave Ben a tight bear hug.

Ben let go of him. "Nothing much. Just came back from a mission."

The guy nodded. "I heard about that. Nice save, dude!" He finally took notice of me. "Who's the chick?"

Chick? What was I, a California blonde?

Ben introduced us. "Jeff, this is Callie. Callie, this is Jeff."

I smiled and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Jeff."

I immediately regretted offering the gesture because my hand became toothpaste to his grip. I winced at his strong grip. Either he works out a lot or has a lot of energy. Judging by his medium frame, I was guessing the latter.

"So you're the Callie Pellegrino? I'm one of the mission analysts here at Cavendish HQ. I analyze all the missions and yours" he looked at Ben. "was a lucky one. You're lucky you got out of there with only minimal damages."

I smiled uncertainly. "Yeah…. Can I have my hand back?" Jeff slowly looked down. Ben giggled in the background. I shot him a look. He was so not enjoying this!

"Sorry." Jeff said, letting go of my crushed fingers.

"It's alright. Really." I replied. My finger felt like pins and needles as the circulation came back to them.

Jeff glanced quickly at his wristwatch. "Well, I better be heading off now. Ben, see me later." Jeff rushed passed us with an embarrassed face.

"Wait, Jeff!" Ben called after him. "Where's Dimo?"

The surfer pointed ahead of us at glass doors. "Down in Control Center." A few moments later, I heard a set of elevator doors closed with a DING!

The Control Center certainly lived up to its name. One look at the row upon row of modules and desks ran down the steps of a room shaped like a mega amphitheatre. (If you don't know what that is, try imagining an enormous college classroom.)

The place was especially busy like a control center too. Some were in lab coats, others similar polo shirt and dress pant attire as Jeff had. They were reading stacks of papers, staring at their computer monitors, talking to each other, and just moving. The scene reminded me of the headquarters in the movie _"__Get Smart__."_

The most amazing part of the whole room was the front of the room. There sat a huge screen, like the one you see in the NASA control center in movies. However, this one had many other mini screens protruding out of it in holograms. Maps, images, charts, and all sorts of numbers and words played across them. A big chunk of the population was standing in front of it with special metallic black glasses on, taking notes.

"Wow!" I spluttered. I could barely get the words out of my mouth because I was so awestruck.

"There he is!" Ben exclaimed. He'd been searching for someone in the crowds towards the big screen up in the front. He pointed out and motioned me to follow him down the steps.

Ben must be popular among the girls here because a considerable amount of girls approached him while we made our way to the front. He received everything from hugs, candies, to even kisses. I rolled my eyes. Who would have known that he was such a player?

We were almost at our destination when I saw a huge globe floating in the air about 4 feet high. A few more men in lab coats were writing in their clipboards. A familiar name caught my eye.

"Hey Ben!" I tapped his shoulder. "Does that the map say _Jurassic Park_ on it-"

"Dimo!" Ben stopped beside a large man who wore the same gothic black robe as Ben. He was partly bald, with dark brown hair on either side of his head. He was studying a map on one of the mini screens with the special glasses. As he was thinking, he tapped his fingers on the side of his faced while his arms were crossed across his chest. He was so drawn into his thoughts that he paid no attention to Ben. It scared me of how much he reminded me of Mr. Bogerson.

"So you are back." Dimo finally said, continuing to watch the map. He had a monotone voice that matched his face expression. It was pale and blank; seemed to match his personality.

Ben's smile faded away quickly. "Yes sir." He said.

"Last time I checked, you came back a while ago." Dimo's face stayed the same but you can tell he was agitated.

"I had to get medical attention."

Dimo turned to Ben at "medical attention." He lifted his glasses from his eyes and scanned Ben from top to bottom. His eyes were the same color as his hair and mustache. They only made him look more evil and intimidating as Nicholi. My heart stopped for a beat when I saw them land on me.

"Catherine Pellegrino." Dimo extended his hand. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person." I took his hand and shook it. Like Jeff, Dimo crushed my hand like crackers. I tried to keep my face straight. What was up with men and strong handshakes?!

"Dimo is the head of operations here in HQ." Ben piped up.

Dimo glared at him. "Couldn't I have told her that?" Ben looked away apologetically.

"OH MY LORD? ! IS IT JUDGEMENT DAY ALREADY? I SEE AN ANGEL IN OUR MIDST!" Everyone spun around to right to see a lady in high heels click-clack her way over to us.

Ben elbowed me. "That would be Ms. Bullings." he muttered.

"I may look old," Ms. Bullings said with a manicured hand on her hip. "but I have the hearing of a deer. I don't think I like that tone of voice young man."

Ms. Bullings seemed to be in her mid-thirties but acted like she was in her mid-forties. She wore clothes too tight for her body and had wild curly red hair flowing down her shoulders. The worst part of her outfit is the tight green shirt that showed a little too much cleavage. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that this was the same lady who picked out my awesome wardrobe.

The weird woman turned to me. "You look absolutely amazing! Darling, you could be Selena Gomez's twin! When I first took one look at your adorable little face…" she reached out and pinched my cheeks. "I **knew **that this outfit would be the perfect one for you!"

Was this lady some distant relative of Sharon or something because she practically did the same to me at the Ancestral Extravaganza?

Dimo opened his mouth to speak but no words would come out. He did appear to be annoyed, embarrassed, and unsure of what to do.

"Uhh…. Ms. Bullings?" Dimo started.

Ms. Bullings smiled sweetly at the head of operations. "Yes Dimo, sweetheart?"

Dimo cleared his throat loudly. "Why are you here?" He tried his hardest to make the sentence come out as nice as possible but it still sounded sassy.

"I just wanted to see the girl." She said quietly.

"Well, you can see her later can't you?" he said. Still sassy.

Ms. Bulling's face went pink. Anger or sadness? No matter what it was, the change of emotion made Dimo reconsider is question.

He attempted to smile. "Why don't you go and find new outfits for Catherine?"

"Callie." I corrected.

"Callie?" He corrected.

Her face lit up like Christmas lights. "Yes! Don't worry my dear." she placed a hand on my shoulder. "while you're with Mr. Grumpy here, I'll make sure you have the best clothes. You'll be the hottest girl of the whole block!"

"Don't you have paperwork?" Ben asked Ms. Bullings.

She waved away the idea of responsibility. "Work. Smurk. I can always do that later. I have more important things to do!" With that, she hurried away, muttering something about skinny jeans.

Ben shook his head. "Some secretary! Seriously Dimo. I don't understand why you pick her-" Dimo gave him the evil eye. "But what do I know? I'm just a kid!" He focused his attention to a spot somewhere else.

The boss shared his glare with the rest of the crowd who was watching the whole drama. "And what are YOU ALL staring at?!" he yelled. "Get the Cavendish Mirror ready! We have kept Ewan waiting too long!"

The workers jumped back into their jobs without another word.

"Sir!" someone at a big computer waved him to them.

"Excuse me." Dimo nodded to us and walked off.

Ben sucked in air. He did have an interesting boss.

I turned to Ben. "What kind of nickname is "wizard?" I mean, isn't that kind of dorky?"

Ben let out a laugh. "I wouldn't say that in front of him in a few minutes." Ben looked at me to tell me something else but only laughed harder.

"What is so funny?" I asked him before I had processed his first sentence. "Wait. Hold on! I am meeting him now?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah. Didn't I already tell you that?" he asked.

"No." I told him. "You just said, "All your questions will be answered. Blah, blah, blah, blah-"

"Well I'm glad you pay attention to what I say." Ben muttered.

"Ben!" Dimo yelled from the big computer. "Get her into the Mirror Room! We are ready to go!"

Ben nodded and took my arm. "Let's go." Once again, I had to follow Ben into the unknown.

"Is this another pointless greeting or does this actually have a meaning to-"

"Yes!" Ben walked faster, dragging me behind him. "Come on! We do not have a lot of time. The quicker we can get a hold of him, the longer we can talk to Ewan."

We stopped at a wall with an observation window built into it. The room on the other side was bare white. There was nothing on the walls; not even a speck. However, there was only one object in the entire room. It must be the mirror everyone was talking about. It was huge with wires connected to it as it stood in the center of the room. The strange part about the so called "mirror" was that the surface was pitch black. That couldn't be the reflection because the walls were white. I stared at it as Ben helped me into a jacket.

The jacket was pure white also. It looked light but I found it extremely heavy for a coat. The weight was more than a winter coat! You could even wear this in Antarctica and still be sweating.

"What's up with the jacket?" I asked Ben who was zipping my coat.

"We give these to new comers. It will protect you from any harmful magic or energy spikes."

He began to sooth the wrinkles down my arms. He looked back at me because I was silent. "Accidents in the past." he said in a matter-of- fact tone.

"It's great to know that you guys have the slightest clue of what you're doing." I said sarcastically.

Ben pretended to laugh. "Ha! So funny-"

He nodded to a group of bulky and armed guards behind him. These seemed to be more serious and dark than the last ones we met. I realized that they were standing on either side of another door. One of the started for the handle—

"Wait!" Another person shouted. What is up with everyone shouting and screaming? Was it is usually like this?

Ben looked at the person who called out to him. "What is it Nick?"

You would expect someone who is named "Nick" would at least be a jock or handsome; at least in my opinion. This "Nick" was nothing of the sort. In fact, he was on the opposite end of the scale. He was the comic geek: black square glasses, curly reddish hair, and a spotless lab coat with three different color pens in the chest pocket along with a crisp sharpened pencil. The nerd was holding a small blue box in his hand.

I recognized the box. "Are those contacts?"

Nick bobbed his head excitedly. "Yes! They are my newest invention, actually they are modifications off the ones in Torchwood but they have better features."

He opened the container and inside were not only contacts but transparent ear phones too. He delicately lifted one out. "This piece will record everything you say and acts like a blue tooth. The contacts will let us see what you see and we can also text you. But for now we will stick to the listening part." Nick gave me the devices and I wore them.

"Great!" Ben said. He pushed me towards the now open door. "Good luck!"

I yelped as I was shoved gently into the room. The coldness struck me by surprise.

"It's okay Callie. This is your first time so you might feel queasy."

I asked Ben, "First time for what-" but it was too late. He had already closed the door on me.

Beeps of an electronic keypad echoed the wintry room. Even thought the sound was supposed to give me a sense of security, it gave me a chilling sense of isolation. I knew that at least six guards were standing at the door, and if something were to happen, they would be in here in the matter of second. Nevertheless, I still felt like I was a hundreds of miles away. How much farther away from home could I feel?

I sucked in my breath. I came this far, so I wasn't about to leave just because I was scared. I was going to get my answers. No matter what it takes!


End file.
